Redder Rose and Snowier Cold
by Notsoedgydeath
Summary: Qrow died and in a rage, Ruby lead her team into a Grimm ambush, nearly getting them killed in the process. Now gone from Beacon, she finds someone to teach her to be stronger so she can go back to her team and keep the people she loves safe. All about that WhiteRose, this is a rework of a previous fic I wrote.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **__Hey people, this is a rework of a story I worked on about a year ago, if you have read that I've listed an update on that story as to why I'm giving it a rework. To newcomers, this is the tale of Ruby after an incident that caused her to drop out of Beacon. In this story she will try to reclaim her sense of self, grow into a more mature and capable person as well as restore her friendships. WhiteRose will totally be a thing. _

Chapter 1

"You must let her make her own decisions Taiyang. Qrow was my best friend, I know the feeling in her chest is hard to take and you know I don't mean to pressure her but she should be given the choice." Ruby sat next to the door with her hand cupped to her ear, trying to overhear the argument between her father and the stranger. It was the first time she had gotten out of bed to do anything but use the bathroom in a few days. They were arguing so loudly she could hear them from her room, it was obviously about her.

"She's too young and not in the place of mind to go galivanting across the world with you. Give it another year." _Gallivanting?_ That was like… traveling? Ruby was even more confused as they continued arguing.

"That is her decision. Taiyang, who is to say I have another year. No one is ready to lose the people they love, ever. The only way to move on is to go forward, let me ask her. She's already awake." Ruby frowned, she hadn't made a single noise and was on the floor above them. How the hell did he know that she was awake? The argument seemed to go silent and after half a minute she heard footsteps approaching her door. She stood up and stepped back from the door as someone knocked and the stranger called, "I'm sure you heard half of that. Can I come in?"

Ruby looked in a mirror and made sure her eyes weren't too red from crying earlier, then shouted for him to come in as she sat on the bed. Her curiosity eventually beating out her urge to hide from the world. When he walked in Ruby realized she had seen him before in photos with Qrow. A tall man with a midnight blue T-shirt, navy blue pants and spiky black hair with just a few streaks of grey. The most striking thing about him was the fact that his eyes were closed, she remembered Qrow mentioning a blind friend. 'The only man who ever beat me in a fight.' Her chest tightened as she recalled her uncle.

"Sorry about the arguing, I figured if we were loud you'd hear and it'd end faster. I'm Azure Sky. Qrow was my best friend, he told a lot about you miss Rose." He didn't even bother asking to sit down before walking over and sitting on Yang's bed. Ruby didn't feel much like reminiscing and was still unsure why he was here so she let him speak.

"Do you want back on team RWBY?" The words came out with too much ease for how much weight Ruby had given them. She gulped and bit her lip, unable to prevent herself from breathing heavier as her heart pounded. She contemplated the question for a long minute, because while she desperately wanted to see her friends again she couldn't shake the memory. Her running off to the forest, her team following and watching as the Grimm nearly killed her partner. She had endangered them.

"I." Ruby swallowed. "I, I put my teammates in danger. Their better off without me." Ruby began to cry, tears rolling down her eyes as she forced herself to remain quiet and steady. She didn't want anyone to see her like that.

"Your teammates put themselves in danger, to save someone they wanted to protect. In the same way you're willing to jeopardize your happiness to protect them. No matter how silly the thought that you are some kind of liability to your team is. If you want to protect them, you shouldn't let them go battle the Grimm without their leader. Qrow told me you were brave, he told me you were strong and dedicated. Well, it is not a brave leader who abandons their team. It is not a strong person who doesn't protect those they care about. It is not a dedicated huntress who sits in her room and wallows." His tone of voice was gentle and calm, despite the fact that each word seemed to sting. She was being a coward. She was the one who quit. Who cut and ran.

More tears poured down her face, "I didn't know what to do! I nearly got my best friends killed! I don't deserve to be a leader." She was sobbing now, unable to help herself as the emotions poured through her. To her surprise, he put a comforting hand on her shoulder and waited for her to calm down.

"Unfortunately, getting the people you care about nearly killed is within the job description of a leader." He sighed and Ruby looked up at him to see a face etched with pain. "You lead, they followed. Sometimes leaders have to lead to dangerous situations, yes, this was unnecessary but it was an accident. You can learn to control what you do with your emotions; I can teach you if you want. You _are_ brave, you _are_ strong, you _are_ dedicated. Qrow was a good judge of character, honor his memory and prove him right. I can train you to be even better than you are, to protect your friends and to lead them. Two months of school left in this year, then three months of summer vacation. I can tell Ozpin that you are coming back at the beginning of next year and not to find a replacement. Or would you rather your friends have someone other than you watching their back or leading them against the Grimm?"

Ruby let it sink in, she hadn't even thought about being replaced. She hadn't thought much since Qrow died, first the forest and then dropping out of Beacon. She felt so guilty and so ashamed but she had to make it up to her team. She had to. Five months, then she could see them again and start making up for her mistakes. For the first time in a while she began to have a feeling of hope, she felt like she could do this. "Let him know."

He nodded and held out his hand to Ruby, "will you, Ruby Rose, swear on your life to become my student, to train dutifully, to listen well and to dedicate yourself to becoming the best hunter you can be?" She hesitated but shook it, it was her only way back to herself.

"I do swear." It sounded silly and she wasn't sure if that's what she was supposed to say but he seemed pleased by it.

"Now, you will have to call your teammates and let them know. They might not be happy with you, considering the fact that you left but you've got to face the music. It's the only way they'll take you back, the sooner the better." He stretched and stood up, patting Ruby's shoulder one last time. "Good luck. See you tomorrow morning."

It took Ruby an hour and multiple failed attempts to call Yang, she thought up all the things to say but every time she tried to press call, she forgets everything. Eventually she mustered the courage to do it anyways and it only needed to ring once for Yang to pick up. "Ruby! I've tried to call you like a dozen times. Are you ok?" _Maybe_, she thought. She had expected anger, not 'are you ok'.

"I'm fine… I'm sorry sis. I know I left suddenly, I was upset and stupid and-" Yang cut her off.

"I get it." She sounded sad and disappointed but she quickly found her excitement again, "but you're coming back right? You've practiced too hard to give up."

"I'm coming back… just not this year. It's weird, do you know Qrow's friend Azure? He uh, offered to help train me. I'm gonna work _really_ hard and I will be back with team RWBY next year. If you'll have me." Yang was silent for a few long, terrifying seconds.

"Of course, sis! Take the time you need. I'll talk to the others about it, Blake understands but the ice queen is… well, she was really upset." Ruby frowned and called the image of Weiss in her hospital bed to her mind, she didn't even say goodbye before she left. She couldn't bear it.

"Is she nearby? Can you put her on the phone?" Yang said yeah and went to go find Weiss, who quickly told Ruby she was going to find some privacy.

Once Weiss was settled, she immediately began lecturing Ruby with hurt, anger and bitter disappointment seeping out of every word. "You _finally_ decide to call? What do you want? To apologize for abandoning me? For quitting?" Ruby gulped, unable to speak or interject. "Well, are you going to speak?"

"I'm sorry." Ruby finally managed to say, fresh tears coming to her eyes as her heart began to shatter. "I didn't… I was upset and stupid and I-I… I didn't think I was worthy to be your leader."  
"You got that right." Came Weiss, now more angry than bitter. Somehow Ruby felt better about that, Weiss being angry at her was normal. Upset and hurt much less so.

"Please, Weiss. I know that I left but I left because I thought I was a liability, I thought that if I stuck around, I'd get everybody hurt or killed or worse. I want to make it right; I want to come back. I am going to train as hard as I can, so I can come back next year and lead the team. If you still want me."

A few more terrifying seconds later, Weiss responded. "You didn't even say goodbye Ruby. It's going to take a lot more than a phone call to make up for the fact that I can't trust you. I thought- well I thought, that, that you…" Ruby could hear Weiss catching her breath and rethinking… "that you were better than someone to quit when it got tough. Being that I no longer have a partner or team leader, I've applied to Haven Academy." Ruby's heart stopped. In that moment, she found her hope running away from her.

In a desperate attempt to salvage what hope she could, Ruby pleaded, "please. Please Weiss. I'll never, ever leave again. You and me are still partners, it only works if we're a team. I don't want to do this without you, I need you."

"_I_ needed you. And you left." _It's over._ Ruby sighed in defeat, almost not hearing Weiss offer up a lifeline in her grief. "I'll think about it. This is going to be a hard bridge to rebuild, I need time to consider if it's worth it. Give me that."

"Got it. Thanks Weiss, you're the best." Weiss hung up but just before she did so Ruby heard her say 'dolt' and it made her chuckle. That was too normal, it was too much of a reminder of what she had lost and what she might regain. After the Yo-Yo ride of emotions Ruby ended up laughing and crying hysterically for a few minutes. It ended when she found herself drifting off to sleep, looking forward to her first good rest in days.

_** A/N:**__ So I hope that was a good first chapter, most will be a little longer (3-4k words) and I have hopes and dreams of uploading once a week. However, I don't know if that is achievable and I'm not particularly good friends with consistency. I promise to try though. Anyways. For those who are disappointed about Blake not getting a conversation on the scroll, I promise I actually do have a plan for her this time around. I really appreciate all feedback, criticism, praise or otherwise. Please feel free to leave comments!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2~Arrival at Mistral

"You need to work on that transition time, you're too slow." Ruby ducked as the inhuman creature that was her teacher kicked out at her head. She knew he was going lightly on her but already she was dripping with sweat and he seemed completely unphased. For three hours they sparred, focusing on her semblance to power attacks and to dodge. All it did was serve to drain her stamina and she could feel herself on the edge of feinting.

"Teacher, please, we need to take a break." Ruby kept up with her retreating as she spoke, knowing it was likely in vain.

"No breaks." Thankfully, the fight ended as he grabbed Crescent Rose with one hand and stopped his fist inches from her face. She tried to dash away but she ran out of fuel at that moment, unable to escape.

"Well, that's a little longer than yesterday. Your aura is about in line with a first-year student but considering the other abilities you possess; stamina is what you lack. Let's grab something to eat before we get on to your next lesson." Ruby nodded and slowly trudged her way back to her house, the past two and a half days were pretty much one continuous workout. Ten mile run in the morning, breakfast, some new exercise, sparring, lunch, twenty-mile run, more sparring, dinner. She didn't really have the energy in her to make conversation as he cooked up burgers, so instead she just sat at the counter and enjoyed the brief respite.

"I have a hunting mission in Mistral, I've been asked to investigate the appearance of extra-large Grimm in the region south of Mistral city. I have to leave tomorrow morning; would you like to come with?" Ruby perked up, her attention not even deterred by the delicious looking burger that he slid over to her.

"Fight the Grimm? Heck yeah. A mission sounds fun." His face fell and Ruby new she wasn't going to get to participate. Of course not.

"Sorry. It's mostly just going to be me scouting around, not good training. Instead, you'll be practicing with aura control. It's an advanced technique of using aura, beyond a semblance or the simple armor you use. You can strengthen or weaken specific parts of your body, making the most of every movement." He held up his hand and Ruby saw a light blue glow appear around it, "those who are very powerful can even cause it to appear physically. Though most of the time it's a waste of good energy to do that." The light faded and he went to eating. Ruby figured that was better than the constant exercise, she wasn't sure she could take much more.

They both dug in and a few hours later, after her run he had Ruby start on her first actual lesson. They were sitting in the living room, apparently, she wouldn't need to be standing to practice. "When you bring up your aura, it is typically all or nothing. When you were running, you strengthened your aura to increase your speed but to do that, you covered your entire body and used it as armor and strengthening. It is easier to do that but so much more draining than just putting the energy where it needs to be. The reason you haven't learned it is most students your age doesn't have the mental capacity to fight and focus on positioning their aura. It's risky."

"Yeah but I'm better than most kids my age, I got into beacon two years early." Ruby said defensively, even if she wasn't too excited about that situation when it first happened.

"Exactly, it's usually taught in brief at the end of the fourth year of signal, that you didn't take. I'm sure your teammates all have some knowledge of it, though it isn't likely that they can use it in a fight. Yet. You have to play catch up and then vault yourself ahead, you have low stamina but a high combat IQ and great fighting skills. This will help you practice expanding your stamina while utilizing it to the fullest, making it last longer. I want you to hold your hands out and bring up your aura, all the way to max. Then try clenching your fists hard before lowering your aura every where else. Keep clenching your fists to focus your mind and then think about the other places you remove your energy from."

Ruby tried it, bringing all of her energy to surface and clenching her fists but as the aura faded it faded everywhere. "You're doing good. Just keep it trying, maybe close your eyes. Picture that glow from my hands, same thing but all around you, then slowly see it dimming everywhere but your hands." She tried it again and this time she felt her energy leaving from her back and legs first but she couldn't stop it from leaving her hands. "Again." And she tried again and again.

By the time she finally achieved it she ended up dripping sweat and running low on aura once more, her hands were brimming with energy as she cheered and jumped in the air. "I did it!"

Azure chuckled, "for two seconds." And to her great disappointment, she had lost control of the aura in her hands. In frustration she groaned and put her head in her hands, though Azure grabbed her arm gently. "Don't worry, you did great Ruby. You managed to bring it out and put it in one location, that's the start. Maintaining it without thinking is incredibly difficult, especially for someone without much real time combat experience. You have a lot to learn but you're moving along nicely." Ruby nodded and tried to push the feeling that she failed out of her mind; he was the teacher after all. If he says she did enough, she did enough.

"Okay. So… what now."

He stood up, "grab a shower, order a pizza, eat and go to sleep. Rest well, I'll be back tomorrow morning around seven thirty, be packed."

_The next afternoon, Mistral City_

Ruby was already exhausted and more than a little lost. Mistral city was huge and strange, with long winding paths and traditional wooden buildings that all looked the same to her. She was looking for a place to grab dinner, having just spent most of the day practicing her aura control not only on the flight here but in the room in her inn. She tried to avoid the more crowded streets and market stalls, mobs of people still made her nervous but at this rate she was going to-  
"Excuse me, are you lost?" Her thought process promptly derailed as a girl grabbed her shoulder from behind. Ruby jumped into self-defense mode and was already drawing Crescent Rose by the time she realized it was a student. The uniform put her at ease, though she'd clearly scared the girl into jumping back.

"S-sorry. I uh, didn't see you coming." Ruby lowered Crescent Rose and the girl nodded; she was a little short but the most striking thing about her was the little fox ears the perked up out of the side of her head.

She seemed to notice Ruby staring and frowned, "it's ok. I just wanted to help; this is a confusing place." The girl started to walk away and Ruby moved to catch up, not wanting to leave the conversation where it ended. Besides, she really was lost.

"Hey, wait. I do need help with directions, please." She put on her friendliest smile and the girl returned with one of her own. Ruby couldn't help but note how adorable the girl looked, her grin seemed to be equally mischievous and genuine.

"So, what are you looking for? It can't be the academy, that's too hard to miss."

"No. I actually go to school over in Beacon, I just am here for… personal reasons. I was looking for some place to eat but got lost, hopefully some place quiet and delicious. With sweets." The fox Faunus chuckled at that.

"Sounds like you have good tastes, I know just the place." The Faunus grabbed Ruby's arm and began pulling her through the streets, it was a little strange being on the receiving end of overly excitable behavior but Ruby let the girl pull her along. They wound up at a restaurant whose name on the sign Ruby didn't even have time to read because of how quickly she was pulled inside.

It had the same traditional style that all the other buildings in Haven seemed to have but the layout was obviously that of a restaurant, tables and booths covered the dining room and two waitresses stood in the entrance. Seemed it was a slow day, "hey hazel. Who's this?" Said one of the girls, who seemed to know her pretty well.

"Just a stray, she was looking for a place to eat. Cute right?" The Faunus girl giggled and winked at Ruby, who was so flabbergasted by the declaration that she couldn't muster a response beyond blushing and opening her mouth.

"Sorry about Hazel, she's a hopeless flirt. I'm her partner Mitsuko," the girl offered her hand for Ruby to shake. After a brief pause, Ruby took it and shook. _This is why you don't do people._

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ruby." The waitress nodded and brushed her hair aside, she looked a lot like blake minus the cat ears.

"I'll get you two seated, booth or table?" Hazel didn't even bother answering before heading over to the farthest booth, Mitsuko rolled her eyes and followed along. It honestly seemed reminiscent of Ruby and Weiss, which brought all kinds of emotions bubbling to the surface in Ruby's head. Still, she slid into the booth and looked at the menu with great interest. "Cherry Cola for Hazel and what would you like?" Ruby looked at the menu and at the sight of strawberry lemonade her smile grow wide. "Got it." Mitsuko walked away after Ruby pointed.

"So, how long are you in Mistral for?" Ruby flinched, she'd been staring at the menu of desserts for two minutes both dreaming about downing all of them and trying to avoid conversation. She asked for quiet for a reason, still, Hazel was trying to be nice.

"I uh, don't know. I'm here with someone else, he's my mentor and he's on a mission. I just came along because he wanted me to come out and see some place other than Vale. I guess I'll leave when he's finished." Mitsuko returned and placed the drinks on the table, also handing Hazel a slip of paper that made her giggle when she read it. Ruby decided to ignore it.

"So he let you wonder Mistral city all alone? He must have a lot of faith in you, it's a dangerous place for tourists." Ruby thought about that, he did say to avoid the lower levels but not to explicitly stay away.

It did occur to her that she let a strange person lead her to a strange place but Ruby figured she could have handled it if it was trouble. "I'm a huntress, he knows I can take care of myself. Especially with my extra training." She looked at the menu, caught between the idea of blowing her appetite on cake or actually grabbing some real food. Ramen sounded good. Only there were multiple options that all sounded good.

"You don't like to talk much, do you?" Ruby looked up and saw Hazel studying her, making Ruby a little uneasy.

"I guess not. I talk a lot more around people I know, just not really good with strangers you know? I've never been good at meeting new people." Hazel gave her a nod and Mitsuko came to ask about their orders, after some deliberation Ruby asked "I'll have whatever she's having. So long as it's not spicy." Ramen was ordered for the two of them.

They sat in awkward silence for a while, Ruby too nervous to ask any questions and Hazel still studying Ruby's face. "Tell me about your team." It came out of nowhere but Ruby rather preferred being asked questions than asking them right now.

"They're awesome. Yang is my sister; she likes to fight and is the strongest person I know. Weiss is really dedicated to becoming the best, she can be a little rude and has an attitude but once you get to know her, she's really nice. She's my partner and she always pushes me to be my best as well. Blake is super smart and reserved, always staying in the back to observe quietly. She's really good at helping me come up with tactical plans and she's a cat Faunus." Ruby still felt a little weird about the way she left her team and talking about them reminded her how much she missed them. But it also felt good to speak with someone other than her father or Azure for once and she liked bragging about them.

Hazel listened eagerly, "sounds like a good team. My team has a good makeup too. Mitsuko is our leader, she's the smartest and strongest person I know. She has to work to take care of her younger brother but she's still going to school and keeping up, she's amazing." Ruby followed Hazel's eyes to the girl who was wiping down a table, she was bent over facing away from them so she couldn't get a look at her face. Even for her usually shy self, Ruby found her eyes lingering for a brief second.

"Yeah, awesome. It must be really hard to do that, leading a team is already a handful." She said as she faced back towards Hazel, hiding her blush by taking a sip of her strawberry lemonade. To her surprise, it was wonderfully sweet.

Hazel grinned, "good stuff, right?" She took a sip of her own soda, "I only grab the cherry soda because I like the fizziness." Ruby nodded along and they started to talk until the food came out, getting more comfortable with one another as time passed. Eventually the ramen came and they went quiet to eat, it was absolutely delicious.

After dessert, Ruby took a cue to leave. "Wait." Hazel scribbled down her number on a napkin, "in case you get lost. It was nice to meet you Ruby."

"You too." She left enough Lien to cover the meal on the table and turned to leave, catching a look of disappointment on Hazel's face as she walked away. Did she do something? Ruby wasn't sure but she had to get back to, oh crap. She turned back around to Hazel, "uhm… I don't know how to get back to my hotel."

Hazel frowned harder, "yeah that's not good. Do you remember the name?"

Ruby remembered the image on the door, "yeah, green dragon inn." Hazel thankfully seemed to know the place and relaxed before pulling out her scroll and checking the time.

"I have to study, looks like Mitsuko is off shift though. I'm sure if you asked nicely, she'd help, she has a thing for cute girls in need of help." Hazel chuckled and waved Mitsuko over, leaving Ruby standing there speechless as she hurried away.

Mitsuko seemed to notice, "sorry about her. She's got no filter and a mischievous streak. Do you need any help?" Ruby tried to push any awkward thoughts out of her mind.

"I don't know how to get back to the place I'm staying, Hazel said you might be able to help me find the green dragon inn?"

"Yeah, I can walk you there, it's on the way to the dorms anyways. I'm off shift now so ready when you are." They began walking down the streets, the air was cool on her face and Ruby was thankful for the extra warmth of her cloak.

"So what brings you out to Mistral Ruby?"

"I'm here with my mentor, he's out on a mission and he wanted me to see the world some. Of course, I didn't get to go. Needed me to focus on training instead but I guess it's more fun that recon." Mitsuko seemed surprised.

"You're not a student at one of the schools? That's unusual." Ruby found herself flinching once more, as walking out of Ozpin's office for that final time came to mind.

"I uh… actually am a student at Beacon. I'm just going back next year, there was something that happened and I needed to take a break."

Mitsuko took a turn up to a small staircase and Ruby started to remember where she was going. "I get that. A break is good, I needed one last year when I almost blew up my team. You learn to appreciate your teammates more and get stronger for it."

"Really? Hazel said you were awesome, how'd that happen?" Ruby regretted asking as soon as she finished speaking.

Mitsuko's lips drew themselves to a hard line and her eyes went a little distant. "I fell in love with a teammate. Then I did something really stupid and we broke up, it was messy. I almost quit hunting because of it, she ended up changing schools. Hazel replaced her actually." She seemed a little cold after that, Ruby definitely hit a sore spot and she didn't want to risk pushing any harder so she followed along silently until they reached the inn.

"Thanks for helping me out, I'm sorry for the trouble." Ruby offered a diplomatic smile, which Mitsuko only weakly returned.

"No problem. It really wasn't any trouble; I enjoyed the company. Just try and not get lost again, even huntresses can find themselves in sticky situations here in Mistral."

"I'll remember that." Mitsuko smiled a little brighter and started heading away, making for the nearest stairs to Haven. All in all, it had been a pretty nice evening even if it was a little strange.

_The next day, Haven academy_

"Left!" Ruby dodged as a swarm of tennis balls came her way, "back!" More came from behind and she activated her semblance just in time to avoid the next volley. "Forward and right!" This time she was a little short and a few balls slammed into her leg as she pulled away, a buzzer sounded and the purple haired woman stepped out. Professor Viola was apparently just as serious as her mentor without the soft side. "You're not going to get off easy if it's the Grimm chasing you down."

Ruby frowned at her while standing up. "Grimm usually don't come at me from two directions that fast." Lila didn't seem very impressed.

"But they can. Try and remember that this is important Ruby. The tiger has high expectations for his students." With that, she stormed off to the control booth. Ruby got back into position.

"Twenty more sets, then we're done. If you haven't finished working on it by then, I'm not sure you'll be able to get it any time soon." Once again, Ruby lined up in the center of the gymnasium to get shot at. This time when the volleys came, she gave it her all. She didn't hold anything back, managing to dodge most but she could never finish each set of five unscathed. Seventeen reps later, when she was running low on aura and starting to feel even lower, she tried to clear her mind. "Forward!"

She decided she wasn't going to focus on this one, letting several of the balls bounce off of her as she recalled her first teacher. Qrow. 'You can't just run through the mechanics kid; you also have to feel it. To let instinct in but don't give in all the way to that either. Try and slip between the two, one, then the other. One day, they'll fold in together.'

"Don't give up yet! Come on, don't tell me you're out already!" Ruby glowered at the professor and shook her head.

"No. I'm ready." _You better be._ She told herself, trying to think it was Weiss egging her on. Yeah, she could stand up to mean words, she had a job to do. She pulled her aura from her chest and arms, trying to focus it all on her feet and legs. It was hard but she found it not as difficult as covering just her hands, plus, she wanted to prove this woman wrong.

"Back, right, left!" _What?_ Ruby didn't have much a direction to dodge as the balls came from three sides without any delay between them and the confusion caused her to lose control of her aura. She finally managed to force her semblance to life just before they slammed into her, vaulting forward out of the left and right volleys but she couldn't shift to the side before the ones behind her struck her undefended back.

"Well, so much for being ready." Lila called from the control booth, "next four coming up." Ruby fought past the pain from her bruises and readied for the next grouping, three at once was new. But she wasn't going to be caught off guard again. Her aura moved back to her legs.

"Back, left!" She burst to the right, using her legs to do the work and then turned to use her semblance, taking her out of the line of fire. "Much better! But let's focus on that semblance! Right, forward!" Once more, Ruby anticipated the volleys and darted backward, semblance on full blast to outrun the ones coming at her, then spun and used it to dash to the side. "Back!" Ruby spun and dashed left, "right, back, forward!" This time she managed to get it right, jumping left, then avoiding the few balls that pursued her.

"Good job! I didn't think you could do it! Now let's see if you have the stamina for five in a row, all are going to be attacks of three!" Ruby focused her aura to her legs and closed her eyes, focusing all her attention on keeping her aura together. She didn't need to see what was coming after all. "Left, back, right!" Her legs propelled her forward and her semblance kicked to life, until she was out of the way of the storm of balls on the left and right, then kicked off the ground to the side, activating her semblance again to avoid the volley behind her.

Four more volleys later and she finished unscathed but completely exhausted, needing to be caught by the professor before she collapsed. "Woah there. I guess I underestimated you," the professor lead Ruby over to a bench so she could recover. "That's not something the average first year knows, let alone someone as young as you. Maybe he made the right choice."

"The right choice?" Ruby looked up to see the professor flinch and run a hand through her long purple hair.

"I worked with another student, Pyrrha Nikos, she wanted to apprentice with the man and he refused. She wasn't worthy he said, which didn't make any sense. She's the greatest prospective talent that I've ever seen. Still, he could have done much worse. Although the point of this exercise was your semblance, not your dust skills." She looked at Ruby pointedly, making her blush. She'd thought so much about winning she forgot the reason she was here.

After a pause she managed to awkwardly squeak out a sorry while looking away and scratching the back of her head. "I just wanted to beat the challenge, though I think I'm improving with my semblance."

The professor nodded acceptance. "It's fine, you improved in other ways. Though you wasted a lot of energy on using your aura like that and if it were the Grimm, you wouldn't be able to maintain it. I suggest something a little simpler for practice, maybe long runs. Just don't try that out in a fight anytime soon." They were both silent for a little while and just as Ruby was going to break it, the professor turned to walk away. "I have work to do. You should go rest."

Ruby didn't get up right then, she wasn't really sure if she could. Without the adrenaline pumping through her veins her legs felt like they were made of lead and her whole body burned with a dull ache. She thought about the professor, she was so grumpy when they first interacted but the revelation about Pyrrha set things in perspective. Not worthy? If Pyrrha wasn't worthy she had no idea what the word meant. Ruby was slower, weaker, not even as brave. Sure, she was younger but she didn't have half the natural talent she did. And Pyrrha was also so nice and dedicated. She drew the image of the red headed warrior to the forefront of her mind and let it stay there for a while. Beautiful, wise, strong. Could Ruby be like that? Better? She decided it was her duty to try, to get back to her team she would have to be the best.

That started with getting up, Pyrrha wouldn't be immobilized by a simple workout and neither would she. Instead, she found her feet and slowly started finding her way out of the building. It was slow going as she didn't know her way around the place and students were flooding the halls after class ended. The crowd made her nervous and that nervousness disoriented her more. A few wrong turns later and she found her way out, though it wasn't the one she expected. "Ruby, what are you doing here?" The brown eyed fox Faunus she met the other night was in the hallway talking to some classmates before they spotted each other.

For the second time that day Ruby scratched the back of her head and blushed awkwardly. "Uh… being lost, apparently. I can't find the exit." Hazel took it in stride and giggled before taking Ruby's hand and leading her down the hallway.

"So, what are you actually doing here?" Hazel knew her way around and had gotten them out of the place in about thirty seconds. They were still in the courtyard but the students were dispersed in small pockets, giving Ruby precious space.

"Training. Professor Viola was helping me practice semblance use, she's a real slave driver." Hazel cocked her head at that.

"She's usually nice. Also, why are you training here? Why not your own school?"

Ruby flinched at that, "uh. Well, there was something that happened at my own school. And I'm taking a break. So. Uhm, I'm here with a mentor. And he wanted me to practice but he had a mission today." She was too tired to deal with more memories flooding her mind but they came anyways, making it hard to speak clearly.

Hazel let that sink in for a minute before responding and Ruby used it to shove the images in her mind away. Some were good, others were of that moment in the woods. The Grimm over Weiss. The blood. "I see I stepped on a landmine. Sorry about that, how about we go cheer up with a drink. There's this club I like, not too busy. Especially this early."

"Club? Would they let us in? I'm not old enough to drink." Hazel rolled her eyes and muttered something about foreigners.

"Girl, this isn't Vale or Atlas. The drinking age is much lower here." Ruby didn't even consider that. Did she want to go drinking? It'd be good to relax but she couldn't. The image of Pyrrha resurfaced in her mind, she had to live up to that standard.

"I'm exhausted, I think I just want back to the hotel to rest." Hazel sighed and muttered something under her breath before saying goodbye starting to walk away. She seemed disappointed and even a little angry. Ruby felt she'd made a mistake again.

_The next morning, outside Haven_

"So how did yesterday go?" Azure was sitting on a ledge overlooking a long drop, there was a waterfall beside them that roared so furiously he almost had to shout for Ruby to hear him.

"I managed to practice my semblance; I can use it for shorter leaps but I also managed to practice aura control. I used it to dodge some tennis balls." And it cost her too. Even with her rapid healing, she woke up with bruises this morning and her aura was still depleted. Thankfully Azure brought her breakfast.

"Lila told me that. How about everything else. You had a good half a day to yourself." Ruby blinked. She hadn't expected the question, was she really supposed to train more after that? She could barely move!

"I wasn't able to train more after the lesson, I'm sorry." He laughed with amusement and Ruby's ears burned.

"That's not what I meant Ruby. Life is more than training. How did you spend your day?" She blinked again. She'd spent most of it sleeping.

Figuring there was some trick she wasn't seeing, she answered after giving a resigned sigh. "Well I basically just slept after that."

He nodded. "Well you should try and explore the city, maybe the experience would do you some good. The drinking age here is lower, so you can try that out too. But keep your wits about you, especially on the lower levels."

Wait… he was telling her to go out drinking? She was very confused. "I thought you wouldn't want me to be doing anything like that. I figured you want me focused on training." He chuckled again.

She couldn't read his face; he wasn't looking at her. He rarely did when he spoke, which was fair considering the fact that he couldn't see anyways. But his tone was full of humor. "I want to train you to be a hunter. Hunters have lives outside the hunt. Train all the time and you will break. Learning how to relax is practice too."

Ruby couldn't argue with that. "Well I'll keep that in mind. A friend asked me to go with her to a club, I turned her down because I thought you'd disapprove. Well that and how tired I was."

"So, you lied when you said you went right to sleep. You made a friend, who wanted to go drinking with you?" He sounded even more amused. Ruby felt it was a little grating, like he was mocking her. She knew he wasn't but it irritated her all the same. "Well, you don't have to turn down any dates on my behalf. If you don't show up late to practice, I don't mind. Hell, I'd be glad. You deserve to see some of what you're fighting for. Have some fun."

That lead to even more questions. First off, was that why Hazel was mad? Had she really been asking Ruby out on a date? Second off. "The professor told me that you said Pyrrha wasn't worthy. Can you tell me why?"

He cocked his head, "I didn't say she wasn't worthy. I said I had no way of knowing if she was. The girl was too perfect, she had never struggled. She was dedicated, wise, kind. But her parents pushed her to be those things before she had a mind of her own. And with such natural talent, she easily passed every test at her training academy. I didn't know if she had what it takes to be my student."

"But that doesn't make any sense. You just listed all the reasons why she'd be great at this. Maybe better than me. Probably actually. I could hardly protect my team, Pyrrha wouldn't have screwed up like I did."

"You fucked up big. But trust me. I've fucked up far worse. That doesn't mean you are going to be a bad hunter. Consider this. I could beat her with both hands chained behind my back the same as I could you. The difference in your skills compared to the difference between mine and either of yours is so vast it doesn't matter. The base is what I'm looking for. You climbed out from failing. You faced that. I do not know if she could. You have resolved yourself to a goal. One that is solely yours. You have struggled and overcome. Maybe she wouldn't have done what you did but one day struggle will come. I do not know if she will break or not. You, Ruby, are far more impressive. I _know_ you are brave, strong willed and resilient." He stood up off the ledge and gestured for her to do the same.

As Ruby got to her feet, he placed one hand on her shoulder. "The greatest two hunters I have ever known saw something in you. Qrow told me how much you want to be a hunter, how much of a fighter you are. Ozpin says he sees greatness in your eyes. Me? I believe it. Even after knowing you for only a few days I have seen you grow from a nearly broken girl who thought she lost everything to a dedicated student who would shoulder the weight of the world for her friends. So, if you struggle or stumble along the way, remember that doesn't make you any less. _Never_ put yourself down. Because that adversity makes you stronger. It makes you who you are. You won't be perfect and I don't expect that. The world knows I'm not."

She stared up at him, his eyes were closed but he had a confident smile. His weathered face seemed younger; his lengthy speech had half gone over her head but she got the gist of it. He sounded so sure even she had to believe it. Since the incident she had been putting herself down but he was right, she'd get past this. "I'll try."

_Later that day, the hotel on the phone with Yang_

"I still can't believe you're all the way in Haven now. I bet your learning some ancient techniques for killing fifty Grimm at once. Try and remember you've got to save some for us sis." Ruby couldn't help but laugh at Yang's joke, as terribly off the mark as it was but the sound came out strange to her. She hadn't laughed like that in a long while. The realization brought the memories about why to the surface and she got quiet.

"You there Ruby?" Yang's concern snapped her out of it.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I've been tired, I trained with Azure all day long and yesterday was even more exhausting. But it's been fun. I even met a couple of people."

Yang sounded surprised, "really?" Ruby rolled her eyes; she was capable of making friends. She just liked doing other things more.

"Yes really. I think one of them asked me out on a date but… I didn't realize they were offering and turned them down. N-not that I wanted to go on a date! Uh… yeah. I just, you know, yeah." She heard Yang laughing on the other end.

"It's ok sis. It sounds like you're interested in this person so I guess it's a she? You wanna tell me about her?" Ruby wasn't surprised Yang remembered that awkward conversation where Ruby discovered she liked girls. She hadn't really realized it until Yang brought up boys one day and the conversation that followed lead to Yang realizing Ruby was gay and explaining to her what that meant.

The memory was awkward as hell but she'd take Awkward. So, she explained how she met Mitsuko and Hazel and Yang listened to her for as long as it took. Then they talked some more about how Yang was doing and Ruby finally had to hang up so she could sleep. It felt so good to let a little of the load off onto her sister that Ruby found herself asleep almost instantly.

_**A/N:**__ So, I hope that wasn't as overly long and rambling as part of me thinks it was. To answer some questions and comments I'm sure will come up, Mitsuko follows the color naming rule. (So long as my google fu has not failed me, it essentially means light or shining. Light is a color in my book. Sue me.) Azure's speech was intended to be long and wordy, because he himself is not particularly good at that sort of thing. And that's about it for pre-empting questions. As always, please leave criticism and comments, they are appreciated. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3~Midnight in Mistral

The last few days of training had breezed by for Ruby, it had been three days since her talk with Yang and she didn't have any time to go and see Hazel or Mitsuko she was so busy. She'd spent it all exercising and training with Azure, putting her focus into getting stronger, faster and better. Which is why it was so surprising he decided to head into town around lunch time, he usually brought it with them to the waterfall they trained at.

"We're leaving tomorrow at noon so I'm giving you the rest of the day to explore the city and have some fun." He handed her a large stack of lien, "this is an order."

She pocketed the cash and gave him a nod, telling herself that this was training too. She was going to have to learn how to navigate a city and deal with people and crowds, even if most of her time would be spent in the woods. "See you soon master." He was already walking towards a bar. How he knew it was a bar was a question she'd have to ask at some point.

She walked around aimlessly for a little while, passing shops that she had no interest in and steering clear of the busiest roadways. She saw some kids with hunter weapons and it made her think of Hazel, she'd not have class today. Was she going to be angry about Ruby turning her down? It didn't matter she decided, she had to say goodbye today. So, she called her up. It didn't even ring for a second, "who is this?"

"Hey, Hazel. It's me, Ruby."

The few seconds it took Hazel to respond felt like an eternity to Ruby but the jovial tone she spoke with set her at ease. "Oh good, I was starting to think maybe you left without saying goodbye. You need me to help you find your way again?"

"No. I uhm… I'm leaving tomorrow and my mentor wants me to go exploring. Ordered me to have fun actually and you seemed like the best bet. Uhm, so you interested? In showing me around?"

Hazel giggled on her end, "are you asking me on a date Ruby?" It took Ruby a full half minute to pull herself together. That was what it sounded like.

Apparently, she hadn't been as together as she thought because her brain malfunctioned as she responded, "I-I, uh, uhm… uh."

"It's ok Ruby, I'm actually straight." Blink. What? Ruby was even more confused, she must have been quite the sight, a blushing, stuttering mad woman in the alleyway.

"But, but, I thought…" she sighed "… I thought you were asking me out the other day. I figured that's why you were mad at me when I said no."

Hazel waited a few seconds to respond, Ruby wasn't sure for whose benefit though. "I just felt like you were brushing me off. You didn't give me your number after I gave you mine and then you turned me down. I got frustrated, sorry that I worried you."

"And all the teasing? Don't get me wrong, I didn't actually, uh, want to go out with you. I think." She hastily added, "you're cute and friendly and all. I just, uhm, this is so confusing."

Hazel didn't seem to be bothered at least. "It's ok. Sorry, the teasing was for Mitsuko's benefit mostly. If you wanted to ask someone on a date, she's single." Ruby wanted a break. This conversation was too long and too much.

Still, she wasn't going to just brush Hazel off. "I'm not looking for anyone to go out with, I really just want to see the city. You must know plenty of interesting places."

"I do. Let's meet up outside the stairs to Haven academy, see you in an hour?"

"See you."

_An hour later, outside Haven Academy_

Hazel was already there by the time Ruby managed to find the place, thankfully she wasn't late. "Hey Ruby." Hazel looked her up and down, "you know, while you look adorable in that outfit, you might be a little old for it."

Ruby awkwardly clutched the hem of her dress, "yeah, I guess." Hazel took her hand and started pulling her along, "w-where are we going?"

"Shopping. Come on." Ruby got the feeling she wasn't allowed to argue; besides, Hazel was probably right. She had wanted to get a new outfit when she started Beacon but hated shopping too much to bother.

They went into a couple of specialty stores but Ruby didn't find much that fit her style besides for a few things she tried on and found uncomfortable or too dainty to stand up for hunting work. Still, she found herself actually enjoying it after a while. Hazel was cracking jokes and encouraging her, making the experience of trying on new clothes something she actually enjoyed.

"I think there is only one last outfit, let's see if it works." Hazel pulled it out from the stack of clothes and Ruby gave a sigh of resistance, "come on. I think you'll like this one." She held it up for Ruby to appraise and she had to admit, it was her color and style.

It came with tan sleeves and a skirt but the outfit still looked less conservative and childish, it also looked like it would be way less hot for training in. (The volume 4-7 outfit) "Maybe." She stepped into the changing room and put it on, finding it comfortable and breathable. She also liked the look of it in the mirror. It made her feel more mature and capable.

Hazel also seemed to approve when she stepped out wearing it, "yes! Now you look like a huntress." Ruby couldn't help but feel a rush of pride, normally things like this were silly to her but in the moment, it felt good to have her appearance complimented.

"Thanks. So now what?"

"We pay for the clothes, drop the bags off at your hotel and then I'll show you some tourist attractions." And that is what they did.

_Later that evening, at a club_

Ruby had to hand it to Hazel, she knew the city well. The place was full of statues of heroes and guardian spirits that Ruby was interested in hearing the stories of and famous weaponsmiths who practiced forging weapons in the traditional way. The blades they made were so beautiful Ruby actually bought a knife with most of the rest of the cash Azure had given her. She did like weapons after all. And now Hazel took her to what she called the best club in the city, 'not quiet but never quite crowded.'

The place was pretty big and while there was music playing and kids dancing there was plenty of space for Ruby and Hazel to find a spot at the bar away from the crowd. "You really don't like groups of people, do you?" Hazel had noticed her looking anxiously at the dancing kids.

"No. I'm better at dealing with them than I once was but they still bother me."

Hazel ordered two of her 'usual' from the bartender and turned to Ruby. "I get the sense you're awkward around people in general. Thankfully in you it's a pretty adorable trait." The bartender slid over two fizzy looking pink cocktails, which Ruby eyed questioningly. "Come on, they're not strong. They taste really good. Promise."

She was ordered to have fun, right? She took the drink in hand and took a sip, there was the unfamiliar burn of alcohol but it was masked by the sweetness. Was that cotton candy? Whatever it was, it was good and Ruby finished it. "Told you."

"Hey, I've only had one drink of alcohol before. And it was nothing like this."

Hazel nodded. "Well I'm glad to introduce you to it." She finished her own drink and held her hand out to Ruby, "you feeling brave enough to dance a bit?" Ruby eyed her and then the crowd, it wouldn't be so bad would it? But then again, she wasn't a good dancer, what if she embarrassed Hazel. No. Too many people.

"Sorry. Uhm, I can hold our spot if you want to though."

"And leave you here alone? No. Why don't I call down Mitsuko and the rest of my team, that way if I do want to grab a dance you can still have people to hang with?" Ruby recalled the phone conversation they had from earlier but she ended up nodding.

"I think that sounds fine."

They showed up about half an hour later, dressed for a night out clubbing. Mitsuko especially looked good in a white dress and with her hair tied up in a ponytail draped over her shoulder. She had to force herself to stop staring before she was noticed, something about the atmosphere and the six drinks she had in her was letting her mind think about things she'd never given much thought too.

"Hey Ruby, you look good in that."

She smiled and blushed at that, "you look great too." To push the awkwardness away she turned to the other two teammates of Hazel and Mitsuko, who introduced themselves before heading to the dance floor.

Hazel ordered a drink for Mitsuko and gave Ruby and her a wave, "I'm gonna grab a dance for a bit. I'll be back in a bit." Ruby didn't want to be alone with Mitsuko in that moment. She'd not given any thought to dating outside of a few dreams and now it was impossible to get out of her head. Stupid alcohol she thought. But she had no way to get out of it politely.

"You ok Ruby?" She nodded.

"Thinking, is all. I've never been out drinking before and…" she shook her head. What was she going to say? She didn't want to know.

Mitsuko leaned in close and suddenly her thoughts flushed from her head, "you don't seem that drunk." Ruby nodded. What she expected her to do was something quite different.

"Yeah. Uhm." She blushed and looked up at Mitsuko, unable to come up with anything to say.

"I'm sorry, for whatever Hazel told you. She made this awkward, didn't she?" Ruby thought to her sister in that moment, what would Yang do? Then memories of finding her making out with boys in their room flooded her mind and she swallowed down some air.

"Yeah." Ruby ordered another drink as an excuse not to meet Mitsuko's eyes. Ruby was so lost; she'd never had the opportunity to hang out with anyone like this. Her few friends at Signal were straight and she only talked to them in class. She was always training. And she didn't talk to many people at Beacon. Though… she recalled a dream of Weiss, which quickly replaced itself with that memory again.

Mitsuko moved closer to Ruby, "you want to talk about it? I promise I won't do anything untoward. You look like you could use a friend." A friend. Yes.

"Uhm. Yeah. I, don't usually go out like this. Making new friends is hard for me and I spend so much time training so-" Ruby tried to think how to explain and Mitsuko nudged her hand closer to Ruby's. Not touching, just inviting it. Ruby didn't move hers, yet. "I'm only out here because I was ordered to by my mentor, he wanted me to have fun. This is all just new and confusing to me right now."

Mitsuko nodded. "I get being dedicated to study and training. But you've got to relax every now and then." She looked around, "what do you say we go for a walk? There is a park we can go to. It's quieter than here, might be more your speed?" It sounded so sincere it didn't occur to Ruby that she was asking for the two of them to have privacy.

"Yeah. Let me say goodbye to Hazel first." She nodded and Ruby moved over to where Hazel was dancing, waving to her from the edge of the crowd. "Hey, I'm headed out with Mitsuko. Thanks for this, today was so much fun."

Hazel nodded. "Ok. Good luck." Ruby wondered what she'd need luck for as she exited the bar with Mitsuko. It was a long walk to the very upper levels of Mistral. The park was indeed beautiful, with a winding stream carving through the garden of flowers and cherry trees. Like something out of a movie.

"So if you don't get to relax with other people often, what do you do for fun?" Mitsuko stopped by a bench underneath a large tree and patted beside her for Ruby to sit down.

"Well I do hang out with my teammates. And I like weapons, I recalibrate Crescent Rose all the time. And training is fun." Mitsuko seemed disappointed by the answer.

"I like training too. But you can't just throw yourself into it without any way to vent off steam. I worked myself to the bone once, taking care of my brother in the evenings, training in the morning, my only time when I wasn't working was with my teammates. But even then, I was taking care of their problems. It catches up with you Ruby. You start to lose appreciation for what you are even doing it all for, what us hunters are fighting to protect. Worse, I bottled up what I was dealing with and let it almost destroy me."

Ruby found herself nodding along and reaching her hand out to Mitsuko, who took it and squeezed it, sending a jolt of warm electricity up her arm. "I, won't let that happen."

She nodded and shared a knowing look with Ruby, "it sounds like your mentor isn't going to let that happen either. It was pretty smart of him to tell you to go have fun, did you?"

"Yeah. Hazel was great. We had a chat at the bar that was ok and shopping was actually kind of fun with her. And she showed me these statues and told me this cool story about forty-seven rogue hunters. And this park is beautiful." She looked up at the full moon above, "especially in the moonlight." She was surprised at herself. That was something she'd have said a month ago, before the incident.

Mitsuko smiled up at the moonlight, "good. So, I assume, the reason you were so awkward back there is Hazel said I might be interested in you?" Once more, Ruby found herself losing her thoughts to a tidal wave of emotions but she managed to cling to a few.

"Yeah." She looked away. "I uhm, I, it's not really on my radar right now. But uhm, you are really, really beautiful." To her surprise, Ruby heard Mitsuko laughing.

"You're adorable." Ruby turned to see Mitsuko smiling at her, "thanks for trusting me to come out here and talk with you. Even if I don't get to have some fun with you that way, I enjoy helping people." Ruby blushed at the way she said have some fun with you but managed to smile back.

"Thanks for letting me talk. You mind if I do some more?" Mitsuko shook her head and Ruby began to speak, not sure what exactly she was going to say. "I messed up back at Beacon. My partner, she almost died. I ran. I uhm, I didn't think I was good enough to be their leader and I quit. My sister is on the team and she supports me. My other teammate Blake seems to as well but my partner… she applied to another school." Ruby couldn't stop a tear rolling down her cheek but the comfort of Mitsuko holding her hand made it easier to think past the fear and sadness.

"I. Don't want her to leave. She always pushes me to be my best. She's means and rough but once you get to know her you realize how awesome she is and I don't want to do it without her. She said she might stay. I have to trust her. To believe her. You dealt with something similar and I just want to know how to stop that from happening."

Mitsuko had a look of distance on her face, as if she was remembering the same way Ruby did. "Honesty. Tell her that. Everything. Make her see you for everything you are. Make her know you won't repeat that mistake." She squeezed Ruby's hand, "I couldn't do that. It was too hard to be that open, to be that brave. She couldn't either. Not because I was afraid of the awkwardness or how much that hurts but because I was so scared that if I opened myself up to her all the way, I wouldn't be able to stand up to her. I got counseling after, I learned to see past that self-doubt."

Ruby breathed deeply, that was a lot to think about. "Thanks."

Mitsuko looked at her scroll, "it's almost midnight. You should probably get back to your hotel." She stood up and tried to let go of Ruby's hand but Ruby kept her grip firm, she didn't want to lose the company just yet.

"Walk me there? It's dark and I might get lost." She honestly didn't know if she was lying or not.

"Sure." Mitsuko walked her to the hotel with their hands intertwined, there weren't many people out but Ruby still felt a little subconscious about what it looked like. Not that she'd let that stop her. She felt like once she let go, she'd lose control of her thoughts again, the warmth of her friends hand was enough of a distraction to keep her safe from that for now.

They made it to the inn without a word and outside the door Mitsuko grabbed her shoulder and smiled downward at her, "goodbye Ruby."

Ruby nodded and looked at her friend outlined by the moon above, the thoughts melting from her mind. It wouldn't hurt if she… before she finished the thought she leaned up and kissed Mitsuko, who kissed back with awkward passion. They held it for a long, blissful moment. Everything felt so right and good. "Thanks." Ruby said as they broke the kiss, looking awkwardly away.

"I hope I see you again." Mitsuko said before turning to walk away. Ruby wanted to say more but nothing came to mind.

_The next day at the hotel, on the phone with Yang_

Ring. Ring. "Ruby! You're up early."

"Yeah. I'm about to head back home and I wanted to call you before you had class. I uhm… last night I went out with one of those friends I told you about. We had a talk and it got late and I kissed her. It was awesome. And I don't know how to deal with that."

"You kissed her? Good for you. I guess you feel bad about leaving?" Ruby nodded, then remembered Yang couldn't see her.

"Yeah, she helped me deal with a lot of stuff that's been on my mind and I feel like I used her and left."

Ruby heard Yang muffle the phone and say something on her end to someone else, "sorry, you woke up Blake. She was sleeping in. Look. You didn't force anything on her, just make sure she has your number and you can call her if you want. You could ask her to be your long distance girlfriend, even." There was a loud noise on the other end.

"What was that?"

Yang didn't respond for a good twenty seconds, each one making Ruby's fears grow exponentially. "Sorry. The Ice Queen dropped her mug of coffee. She then proceeded to blame me and leave. She's been moodier since you left." Ruby frowned. If Weiss was fighting with Yang that was more reason to leave.

"Yang, please, I know how she can be but please try to be nice to her. Did she tell you she applied to another school in case she doesn't want me to come back? I _can't_ do this without her."

"Okay. I'll do my best." She sounded like she was signing up to fight a horde of Grimm unarmed, she'd do it but didn't like it.

"Thank you, Yang. I need all of you."

"It's ok. I need you too. And the Ice queen is useful in a fight, as much as I hate to admit it. I have to go but call me soon."

Ruby breathed out "bye Yang." And Yang hung up.

_**A/N:**__ Oh look at that, a chapter I'm not second guessing. That's a surprise. I bet you thought smexy times were coming, didn't you? So did I honestly but I took a different tact. How awfully convenient that Wiess had a lapse of focus the moment Yang mentioned Ruby giving a girl a phone number and asking to be a girlfriend? What could such a thing mean? I think Ruby made some progress this chapter and I liked the flow. I really appreciate all feedback, criticism, praise or otherwise. Please feel free to leave comments!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4~Silver

The past week had been pretty intense, since she left Haven Ruby spent most of her time training under Azure's schedule. It was an organized routine unlike any she'd had before; she'd get up at five thirty and by six fifteen she'd have showered and eaten whatever Azure cooked her for breakfast. Then she'd exercise for two hours, fifteen-minute break, then she'd study whatever lesson he thought for two hours, usually something about tactics or the various cultures in the world. Then she'd have an hour and a half of free time until noon, then four hours combat training and an hour of exercise. After she'd get a 'practical lesson', in cooking, sewing, making fire, whatever it was usually took about an hour or two. Then she was free for the day.

Today she was given the day off after the lesson on operating as a hunter in Atlas. Azure wasn't the best teacher she'd ever had but he always taught her stuff that she'd find useful or interesting at least. She spent a couple of hours wailing on a bunch of trees to practice her form and kill time before heading into town. She was used to grabbing lunch before combat practice and the hunger started to catch up to her, she figured since it was her 'day off' she'd be fine to kill her appetite on some cookies.

The bakery was manned as ever by Ollie, who was perhaps the nicest old man she'd ever met. "You're in early little red, practice cut short?" She didn't even have to tell him what he wanted, he just started placing the cookies in the bag. A dozen of the second-best chocolate chip cookies ever.

"I was given most of the day off actually. My mentor has a mission." She paid her old friend and snatched the bag of cookies, immediately pulling one out to shove in her mouth.

"Well that's nice, everyone needs some time off now and then. I was thinking about taking a few days off with the missus but I was worried you might go through withdrawal." He chuckled and Ruby subconsciously wiped her mouth. She wasn't that… oh, sarcasm, she realized.

"I think I'd manage. He's even trying to teach me how to cook, I didn't even burn the last bunch that bad!" They both had a laugh at that.

"It sounds like you're having fun, I know that you could use it." She was about to respond when she saw someone coming into the doorway, it was Azure.

His face was stern, "Ruby we've got a problem. Grimm. I need you to handle it." She looked at the cookies in her hand and sighed, she'd not get the time to properly enjoy them.

"On my way. Sorry Ollie, see you tomorrow." He waved and said something about showing them whose boss as she headed out of the store with her teacher. "So, Grimm?"

"A pack of Beowolves. A big one by the sound of things, Taiyang is busy and I have to go help out a… friend. You can find them six miles north. They're troubling the farmsteads. If you run into trouble, disengage. I'll be back in two days. If not, kick some ass." She was capable of handling Beowolves but it still felt good to be trusted with the mission.

"I'll get it done. See you later master."

He placed a hand on her shoulder and she felt her aura grow stronger, back to her maximum. "See you then. Tomorrow I expect you to practice on your own. Ask Taiyang to do some sparring when he's home." She rolled her eyes and watched as he left.

_Several hours later, farm fields in patch_

Ruby was worse at tracking than she'd thought, because it took her well into the night to find the Beowolves. Or more accurately, for them to find her. She'd always had good night sight and decided it was better to hunt them through the night than wait, the ranchers barely managed to run away from the first run in. They pointed her in the right direction, then she followed their tracks until she looked up and saw their shapes around her. There were well over a dozen.

"Hey, good to see you." She awkwardly put her hands up in a friendly gesture, hoping they'd not attack her just yet. The melon field she was on had loose soil and no changes in elevation, meaning bad footing and no cover. There wasn't a good way to outmaneuver them. The Grimm seemed amused at her display and circled patiently, closing in just a bit.

She tried to remember a lesson about tactics Azure had taught her, _fifty fights against one opponent are infinitely easier than one fight against fifty opponents. Separate, break up coordination. Fight on her terms, start the assault, don't stop. _The thoughts in her mind started to collect themselves just as the first Grimm sprung to action.

It was too slow and she finished it with a single swing of Crescent Rose, then leapt up and backwards to get out of the circle of Grimm. She immediately swung out at the weak ones in the back who didn't expect to fight, finishing them easily. _Let them commit, don't break contact. Know when to strike._ She watched several of the beasts jumping to attack where she was in the middle of the circle, still scrambling to strike at a girl who wasn't there. All the while, others in the back caught on and began to circle her again. That was fine by her, she knew how they fought. One would strike at her, then another would come up behind to land a killing blow. So, she used that against them.

When the first lunged at her, she leapt backwards with her semblance behind the one who would have capitalized on the opening and finished it. She didn't move back any further and let the others surround her, it was better to know where her opponent was coming from. She could react that way.

The Grimm were catching on by the time she'd finished the sixth one, this time when she leapt backwards there were two waiting to catch her out of the air. Their claws glanced off her aura shield but she was sent tumbling into the dirt and barely found her footing before three more were on her. Claws bared, teeth gnashing. "Agh!" She jumped straight up into the air and switched to sniper mode, aiming into the pile and killing three before landing on another one.

She slid off of its back and began running through the field, trying to gain distance. _Always attack. Even retreat must be an attack. If it does not take an advantage from your foe or give you one, it is just a waste of energy._ The thought ran through her mind but she didn't know how to use it yet. Distance, tim- Another Beowolve cut her off, it had split from the pack and dodging it slowed her down enough for more to be on her. Still, she was faster and managed to change directions and take off again.

"Come on Ruby, you've dealt with these things before. What would you do if the team were here? Let them handle it? No!" She stopped in her tracks and turned one eighty to face her foes, she didn't have a plan but knew she'd come up with one. She always did with her team. She knew what to say.

The Grimm stopped in front of her, suddenly wary at her presence. _Think Ruby!_ She scanned the Grimm she could see, sixteen left. Two were bigger than the rest. She'd take them out first. She held Crescent Rose out in front of her, keeping the Grimm at her preferred distance, just out of striking range until they lunged. Six of them were in the circle around her, including both of the bigger ones. _Maintain contact. _

She flared up her aura, making it a conscious effort had the benefit of being more protective and boosting her physical prowess, at the cost of burning through it twice as fast. But she'd need that for this fight. "Fight me!" She screamed, making the first beast lunge at her. She was too fast for it to harm her. The next wasn't expecting the first's attack and was too slow for a coordinated strike, allowing her to slash it in the side. While it cycled out for a healthier Grimm to move in, the big one attempted to jump on her. She slid under it and fired a round into its head.

Just then the circle around her broke and the other big one came barreling at her with two more Grimm at its side. She was cut off from retreat and if she leapt upwards, she'd come down onto a pile of enemies. Instead she haphazardly fired the rest of her ammo into big one, killing it just as it got up to her, allowing Ruby to slip between the other two and switch Crescent Rose back into scythe mode.

She wound up surrounded again but without the big ones to lead the charge, she began to pick apart the Grimm. By the end of it her aura was heavily diminished and she got a small scratch on her arm but she had beaten them.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Ruby looked up and saw a beautiful woman with almost glowing yellow orange eyes and a red dress. Something about her was alluring, something else was terrifying. "Good job. I don't know if I should be impressed or disappointed." Ruby clutched Crescent Rose, something in her head screamed for her to fight. To destroy this woman in front of her.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She tried to keep her voice as even as she could.

The woman ran her fingers through her hair and smiled, "I'm an… acquaintance, of your mentor. Or rather, an acquaintance of your mentor's acquaintance. And _you_, are my key to him. I suggest you come quietly."

Ruby hated when people spoke in riddles. "I don't know what that means. But I'm not going anywhere but to bed." She reached her hand into her pocket to grab her scroll when the woman raised a ball of fire in her hand and hurled it at her.

She had to dodge and ended up dropping the scroll, causing the woman to send a few more balls of fire to get her away from it. "You going to call home to mommy? I was told she was dead. Don't tell me you want to join her?"

Ruby burned with rage. This woman knew nothing about her mother. She screamed and ran towards the yellow eyed woman with intent to kill but to her surprise the woman dodged her attack with ease and conjured up an obsidian blade. Ruby swiped again with more grace but she was blocked and forced back to dodge a blast of fire. "You're too young to be fighting me little one." Ruby believed her. She wasn't sure if she could run. But she could get to her scroll. Taiyang was one of the best. He'd get her out of this.

"Maybe. But I've been trained by the best!" She put her all into the next assault, just looking to buy a few seconds. It was all she'd need. Swing high, swing low, block, thrust, uppercut, there! The woman leapt backwards and through out a wave of fire that Ruby backed away from, obscuring her foes vision. And in that brief instant she used her semblance to burst towards the scroll and take off. Her aura was running low but she put up a good amount of distance.

He picked up almost immediately. "Dad! Dad! I need your help, the farms north of town! Come quick!" She was struck in the back of her left leg by something sharp and tumbled to the ground, the pain dazing her long enough for her opponent to show up with a sword in hand an irritated look on her face.

"Alright bitch. That's enough." She conjured a ball of fire and through it at Ruby. Thankfully, she had the wherewithal to move her aura to her arms and block, causing it to explode harmlessly off her aura shield. "You called for help? Well let's just get out of here then." Ruby raised Crescent Rose to fight back but her aura was empty after that block and she was yanked to her feet by the woman, who burned her arm in the process. The woman then grabbed Crescent Rose.

"Oww!" The woman slapped her in the face hard and then used her free hand to grip her arm, causing this weird sensation to run through her. Anger and rage unlike anything she'd ever felt bubbled to the surface, then a voice she'd never heard before. Though it sounded so familiar, it was a woman, she sounded so soft and loving. _Usurper. She will destroy what you love. Defend them._

"You act up again and I'll give you some real pain. Now walk." Ruby stared defiantly at the woman, earning another strong slap to the face. _Do not give in. Fight. With all you have._ Her vision began to change and the woman in front of her became something else. Her face was evil, a twisted grotesque hunk of flesh full of gnarled teeth and belching fire, while deep in her chest she could see a red flame that called to Ruby. Looking at it gave her strength. Resolve. Her aura flared.

Ruby took a step, causing her injured leg to flare with pain. Then another. In her mind she saw the woman hurting people, killing them. It all ended with her reaching out to a woman as she was held down, pulling that flame from her. _Usurper!_ That voice called again. It's love now gone and replaced with venom. She didn't know what it meant but she couldn't let this woman take her. She had to hold her off until help arrived.

The woman lead her along a ways as Ruby tried to think of how to obtain Crescent Rose, though she was obviously spotted looking at it. "You want this?" The woman held up her weapon and smiled, "too bad." She began to burn Ruby's most precious friend until the scope cracked from the heat and the handle warped to the point, she felt fine discarding it in the dirt. More rage bubbled to the surface. This time it was her own.

She lunged at the woman with such sudden ferocity that she landed a few punches off her opponent's aura shield before the fight truly began. All of Ruby's pain faded and what little aura she had left flared up to help her out. All the more, with her new sight it was easy to read her opponent. The fire attacks always started from her heart and moved out; she could see it so easily it was almost enough to give her the edge. Almost.

She wasn't able to land a hit but the voice in her head urged her on even as her aura faded, even as she felt her pain return and her limbs turn to lead. It was enough to keep her on her feet, to keep her dodging every wave of fire or slash from the glass blades the woman summoned. Long enough for help to arrive.

Her vision was swimming and she felt her knees buckling when she _felt_ the air rippled around her. Bristling with energy. There was a flash of blue lightning that slammed into the woman, sending her flying. She looked to see Azure dashing towards her, already conjuring another ball of lightning. He looked different too. There was a radiant light about him, gleaming in silver. He looked younger and more handsome. Where his eyes should be shone two silver motes of light. _He was one of us once. Protector._ That was her last thought before she collapsed.

_Three days later, Xiao-Long Residence_

Ruby woke from her dreamless sleep to find her eyes burning from pain. It was so bad she screamed and in an instant, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, in the next instant the pain was gone and she took in the room around it. It was her home and Azure was standing over her, only he looked normal this time. "M-master? What…"

He took on a stoic grimace, "I'll explain. But first you need to eat." He shoved a bowl of stew into her hands and she realized how hungry she was.

While she ate, he explained, "you were attacked. That's my fault. The woman wants something from me. I can't say what, secret isn't mine to tell. You fought her. Taiyang said your eyes glowed silver when I brought you home. What did you see? What did you feel?"

That wasn't in her head? Ruby was so confused. "I… I saw, I don't know. The woman, she was a monster. And she had a fire in her chest and there was this voice, I don't know whose it was but it encouraged me. Said you were one of them."

"One of you." He said firmly. "I had silver eyes before I gave them up. I suspected you might have them but couldn't see for myself until Taiyang mentioned it. I was a fool not to ask sooner. That voice, it was probably your mothers. She was one of us as well. Us legendary warriors." Her mother's? Ruby shook her head. She'd remember her mothers voice. Right? It sounded like… she frowned.

"What does that mean?" She asked with a hushed voice, sounding small and scared.

He folded his arms and sat back in his chair, "the silver eyed warriors are legendary for their prowess, their abilities and their sheer force of will. There are those who _earn_ their eyes, before the age of ten or so, when they develop a desire to protect and preserve life to the point where they throw their lives away. If they are lucky, they manifest the ability and live. Then if one of those or their descendants has a child, they are born with the eyes. Though they lose them if they do not develop a desire to protect others by the age of ten." He paused her to take it all in.

"Those with the eyes develop several abilities. Most notably, the ability to destroy or freeze Grimm with a look. They can also see magic at work and see things in people. That woman, Cinder is her name, you saw a monster because that's what she truly is. A vile creature. They can hear the voices of previous Silver eyes who give them wisdom. And their greatest power, they can sacrifice the sight in one eye to restore life and sacrifice the light in the other, to end it."

She looked at him, awestruck. She assumed he lost them in a fight or was born blind. "You-" He just nodded and she decided not to probe him.

"That power, it comes from our desire to protect the world. Not just from the Grimm but other things. Once, before the Grimm even existed, there were four maidens. Our origin was as their protectors. Cinder, she stole part of one of these maidens' powers. She wants the rest. No doubt the power in her chest brought yours to life. It is good I was there to save you; you may have ended up using power you weren't ready for yet."

She finished her bowl of soup and looked up at him, she wanted to say something but she couldn't quite figure out what. This was all way too much to take in.

"You should sleep. Training begins tomorrow as usual." He patted her on the shoulder, walked to the door and as he left, he turned and said "you made me proud by the way Ruby. You put up a hell of a fight."

_Later the night_

Ruby called up her sister to tell her everything that happened but lost her nerve when Yang asked "hey sis, how's it going?"

"I'm… alright. But exhausted. Learning so many new things."

"You sound a little off Ruby." She paused to think of what to say, deciding she wasn't ready for the full truth yet. She didn't understand it all anyways.

"I was on a mission, things went south. I'm fine. I just… it was closer than it should have been."

"But you got through it! You're my sister, I bet the Grimm were running scared."

She couldn't help but feel a little uplifted by Yang's attitude, "yeah they did. But I got them all. How about you and the team?"

"We're good. I've been trying to get along with Weiss, she's been moody lately but I'm getting through to her. You know how charming I can be. I'm the best at being friendly." Ruby chuckled. "Hey! I'm serious. I'm the most wonderful person ever and you know it." Ruby burst out laughing and when Yang called out to someone, probably Blake, on her end "I'm humble too." She laughed even harder.

"Yang, thank you. For everything. I needed that."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just telling the truth."

Ruby stopped laughing long enough to get a response in, "well that's good to here. Look I've got training in the morning. I'll call you later."

_**A/N: **__So yeah, eye powers. It seems I've transported us into the world of Naruto. I'm happy with the last fifteen hundred words of the chapter so I hope everyone read up till then. I know the first bit was slow and choppy to begin with, I'll try and edit it later but every time I try now it seems to get worse. Thanks for reading, as always feel free to leave feedback, even if it's criticism. It's always appreciated. _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5~Friends

Ruby had begun to hate exercise. Especially running. 'Exhaust yourself, learn to fight on empty' Azure told her so often. But she couldn't be too upset today, Azure promised her they'd finally fix Crescent Rose in the practical lesson. Even with some upgrades. That made the cramps in her legs feel better as she stepped out of the shower and got dressed. Her friend was hurt almost a week ago but she didn't have the parts or tools, so Ruby had been fighting with a practice scythe in combat practice. It felt so… wrong to her.

But today that was to be rectificated? Rectifized? Rectified. That was the word, she told herself as she skipped down stairs. Then her scroll buzzed and her train of thought went of the rails, causing her to nearly stumble off the last two steps. Thankfully for someone of her dexterity all she had to do was leap to make it look graceful and intentional. Not that Azure could see, he was holding a cardboard box full of all the things she needed to put her friend back together. "Uh, one sec. Call." He grunted and started opening things. "No! I uh, want to do it." The scroll finished ringing by the time she closed the box up.

"Okay, okay." He said in mock surprise.

Then with a sigh she picked up her scroll to see it was Hazel who called. She wasn't sure what she wanted but Ruby wanted to make Azure wait. That box was like a Christmas present in her mind. "Give me a minute."

"You've got five." He took a seat as she headed up stairs in case the conversation was personal.

Hazel picked up after the second ring, "oh good! I thought you were busy. How have you been?"

"I actually am. I'm about to fix my scythe, she was… damaged in a mission." Ruby still didn't like talking about what really happened. Not that she was even all that sure of the details.

"Oh. Ok, well this won't take long. Mitsuko told me what happened at the end of your date or whatever it was, she wanted to talk to you. I'll send her your number, call her at like eight thirty?"

Ruby couldn't help but blush when she remembered their kiss under the moonlight, she had romanticized it in her head a fair bit. "Uhm, yeah. I'll do that."

She started to hang up when Hazel added, "and don't forget to call me too at some point. You were fun to talk to Ruby."

"I'll do that. You were really helpful in Haven but I've got to go now. Later." She waited for Hazel to say goodbye before heading downstairs.

There she looked at Crescent Rose lying on the table, her High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe and closest friend. She failed her. Ruby failed a lot. But she wasn't going to do it again. "I'm gonna fix you." She looked to Azure, who smiled vaguely in her direction. He saved talking for giving directions. But she knew he understood what was going through her head and supported her. He was like Qrow that way, if a little different personality wise. She remembered Qrow helping her build Crescent Rose and the thought made her choke up.

"Come on. You're going to need a weapon if you wish to fight the Grimm and get back to your team. Let's get started." She nodded and opened the box, pulling out a leather bag containing a full portable toolkit, it was a more expensive version of her own. Then she saw the parts he bought; they were all made of a dust forged alloy. Superheated, work hardened material stabilized with gravity dust to make it lighter and fire dust in the center to soften the core after the quenching so it wasn't brittle.

"This is… how much did this cost?" She felt herself salivating like it was a box of cookies and strawberry frosting.

He laughed. "Just a favor. I know a friend who knows a friend in the Altesian military. With the parts you have you'd almost be able to fix the blade. But there is just one more piece you need." He reached from behind his cloak and held out a long handle piece that had a rose symbol painted on.

"What's this?" It didn't look all that special to her. It wasn't even the same material.

"After Qrow died he left some things for me in his will, including all the stuff in his storage vault. He wanted me to give you Harbinger as a memento but it wasn't recovered. This handle is from your mothers' weapon. Apparently, her old teammates split it in three to keep it as a reminder. I figured you should have it."

Her grip softened to the point she almost dropped it. "What? Really? That's awesome!" In truth the emotion bubbling through her was more complicated than just excitement but she meant it.

"Now. Are you ready to fix up your scythe?" She nodded and set the handle down before getting to work. She loved weapons and found herself more knowledgeable about it than Azure was, so she worked mostly in quiet. Save for when she needed him to hold onto something or pass her a different part or tool.

The process took an hour but by the end of it her friend looked brand new, only better. She was lighter but stronger, the scope was as high tech as they made them and in combination with the old parts and the new handle, she was as important to Ruby as ever. "This is the best gift ever." She was so elated she jumped up and hugged Azure, who took it awkwardly but didn't complain.

"You needed a weapon. I'm glad to have helped." She finished hugging him and took Crescent Rose outside. She was going to test her.

Azure followed her and watched as she went through her movements, she didn't have much aura and her legs were still sore from her running and combat practice but she pushed through it. Crescent Rose felt lighter in her hand than the materials would imply and she found aiming it and shooting pine cones out of trees easier than usual. The scope helped but she felt like the training was working, now that she could see what she could do with a real weapon.

"Ruby! I think that's the end of your lesson. The day is yours." He called before heading off, leaving her swinging around Crescent Rose for a while longer before she got a text on her scroll. She nearly ignored it before she remembered her promise to Hazel. It was eight fifteen.

She headed back inside, rinsed the sweat off in the shower and changed into her pajamas before calling the number Hazel sent.

It rang for a few seconds before Mitsuko picked up, "hey Ruby. Hope this isn't at a bad time, I just felt we left things off at a bit of a cliffhanger."

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that. I mean, I enjoyed it! I did. I just, you know, it was impulse. You looked so good and-" Mitsuko cut her off.

"It's ok. I know what you mean Ruby. Don't worry about it. So, this is a good time, right? I'm off of work and I was hoping we could chat a while. I don't have many friends outside the team and I could use the company."

Ruby found it kinda hard to believe Mitsuko had trouble making friends. But then she remembered how little time she had. "Sure. I just finished fixing Crescent Rose and I've got the rest of the day off of training."

"I heard about that. I hope the damage wasn't too bad, weapon parts can be expensive." Ruby suddenly felt a little self-conscious. Getting her parts for free was an unfair advantage, especially because of how expensive they were.

"My teacher helped me with that. She's practically in better shape than she was before the mission."

Ruby heard Mitsuko talking to someone on the other end and it took a minute for her to respond. "Well that's good. I need to upgrade my own weapon when I can find the time. How uh, how goes the training?"

"Great! I'm getting better at controlling my aura and increasing my stamina, though I could do with a little less running. He's gonna have me run from here to Haven one day soon at this rate."

"What's with all the running then?"

Ruby noticed some background noise on Mitsuko's end but ignored it. "To help build muscle mass, endurance and a few other things. I think he just wants to fill more time in the day."

There was a soft thudding sound and she heard Mitsuko let out a sigh of relief, "alone at last. Is he giving you breaks at least?"

"Yeah. I have an hour off after lunch and a few hours of free time each day at the end of it. And not all the time is exercise, we do _four hours_ of combat training and a few hours of lessons on top of that. Weird things like sewing, cooking and all that are included. I am almost a master at making cookies."

Mitsuko chuckled, "that's pretty important. I wish I had someone teach me how to cook, I had to learn all on my own. This one time my brother asked for some fries and I nearly burned the apartment down. That was embarrassing." Ruby remembered a similar time with Yang burning a hamburger and laughed. That was much how their conversation went for the next hour or so, small talk. It was so much easier to talk to her than most other people.

Later, the conversation shifted. "So, Ruby. Uhm, it's getting late. You have to go soon?" She looked at the time, it was almost ten. She was exhausted and had to sleep soon but she didn't want to stop just yet.

"I have some time."

"You suck at lying you know." Mitsuko laughed but Ruby found herself frowning. "Don't worry, uhm… before we finish, I did want to ask. How do you feel about us? What do you want to call this?"

Ruby felt the gears in her brain forcibly come to a halt and she struggled to get them moving. What did she think about them? She found herself thinking more about romance since she left Haven than she ever had and Mitsuko certainly was attractive, confident, direct. She also had a good heart. She was what Ruby discovered she liked in women, something that she found to her discomfort included essentially only her sister and her partner. Though she certainly preffered Weiss' reserved princess look, she admitted to herself only recently. That was a bit of a worrisome thought.

This was a safer alternative but a good one. Did she really want a girlfriend? "Ruby? You there?"

"Oh yeah. Uhm, I'm thinking. It's not like me but uhm, maybe. I think I'd like to try but your so far away. I'm not even sure how it'd work."

"We could see each other over the break, maybe a vacation would do me well. And there is always video conversations and calls. Really, I just want someone I can confide in if I need. Why don't we try something, we can see how it works for us before we make the decision?"

Ruby felt a little lost, having no idea what she meant. "Try what?"

There was a pause. "I want to try and talk like I'm with you some place and you're gonna do the same. I'll start to show you."

Ruby really wasn't sure what she meant but she figured it couldn't hurt. "Uh, sure."

"So, if we were on a date here in Haven, like after you've finished a mission and wanted to come relax, imagine us under the moonlight. We're sitting on the bench with the cherry blossoms in full view, I'm looking at you with this goofy grin. You can tell I'm excited and nervous about it but I reach my hand over to yours, trying to break the tension. How do you react?"

Ruby could picture the scene perfectly in her mind and for some reason she found her words easily. "I let it happen. I'm nervous and scared too but when your hand touches mine I give you a squeeze and the feeling makes it all easier." She felt a warmth on her hand and was genuinely surprised.

"I giggle and give you a wink before scooting a little closer and looking up at the moon. I don't say much, I just want to share the moment with you. There isn't a cloud in sight and the light shining on us is bright and pure."

Ruby closed her eyes to see the moon, to turn and look at her new… girlfriend? Yes. The word excited her. "I squeeze your hand again, 'it's so beautiful out' I say."

There was only the briefest pause but Ruby felt the image fleeing as she waited. "I nod. 'It's a perfect night. Great weather, Great view, great company.' Then I pull your arm so you come in closer to me, close enough for me to reach out and kiss you. It's not the gentlest kiss but I make up for it with passion, my lips locking with yours for several blissful seconds. Time seems to slip away and my free hand begins to grab your waist, the other squeezing your fingers as my weight shifts to push you slightly downwards."

It was embarrassing but Ruby let out a whimper as she pictured the scene in her mind, thinking up how she'd respond. What she saw was herself letting Mitsuko manipulate her as she pleased. Maybe that's what she wanted. "I give in, melting to your touch, kissing back with as much passion as I can muster."

Mitsuko let out a giggle, it sounded like magic to Ruby. "I pull away and giggle again. Looking at you with this playful grin, you know I want more but time doesn't allow it."

Ruby wanted to complain but she knew Mitsuko was talking sense and the illusion in her head broke. "I nod. 'Next time' I say."

"So how was that Ruby?"

Ruby blushed, she was breathing a little heavily and needed a few seconds to collect her thoughts. "That was awesome. Like, really, really awesome."

"I try. I try. So I take it we're girlfriends then?" Ruby nodded excitedly before remembering Mitsuko wasn't there.

"Yeah. I think so."

"Then good night, my little rose." Ruby didn't have an interesting pet name in mind but said goodnight all the same.

_**A/N:**__ So yeah that was a fun chapter. Not a particularly long one but I really enjoyed how things moved along. Next week we get to see Vacuo and test those eye powers. To the people worried about a love triangle, do not worry, I despise those with a fiery passion. Mitsuko is a stepping stone on Ruby's road to maturity. I hope all the talking didn't get too boring, if you've noticed I ended all previous chapters with a phone call to yang but the idea is to end each chapter with a phone call to someone. Anyways, please leave a review in the comments if you have something to add. They're always appreciated!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6~Resolve

It didn't take Ruby long to find out that Vacuo was essentially hell. She was thankful that her outfit was more breathable than her old one, though she had to layer herself with sunscreen to avoid from burning. But Azure still had her do her exercise in the morning, giving her the routine to do alone before she was supposed to head out and find him in the desert. She was dripping with sweat that soaked through her outfit so it was a sticky mess.

But it was all training she told herself, jaw set as she trudged through sand dune after sand dune to find her mentor sitting up on a sand dune. There was a huge block connected to chains there. It looked to be made of steel painted beige so it didn't reflect the sun. "What's that?"

He chuckled, "that, is a big weight. That's not why we're here. _That_ is." He pointed to a huge Grimm that looked like a giant scorpion, a Death Stalker.

"How am I supposed to fight it without a weapon?" He chuckled.

"That's the point of the exercise. Your eyes. You are going to have to learn how to use them, I chose a small one. It should be good practice. You remember what I told you about your powers, how you can freeze a Grimm?"

She nodded. There was that first lesson, then when she asked the day after how he explained shortly. You focused on something you wanted to protect, then pushed some aura into your eyes to get the process started. After she focused hard and… something was supposed to happen. "Mostly at least."

"Good. I'll run through it anyways. Always focus on what you want to keep safe. What you want to do is shunt aura into your eyes and bring to your mind that image. Then you put yourself in front of it. I liked to recite a mantra or swear an oath, words always helped me. Then open your eyes and if the situation is right, your vision will change. Try it."

She thought of the small town she landed in and the people there, she'd protect them she swore. But when her eyes opened her vision remained the same. "Not working."

He nodded. "It's ok. They will. When they do, all you have to do is look at the Grimm, then will it to stop. Force it to in your mind. If you do it hard enough you even kill it. Unfortunately, this is the sort of thing that can't be tought easily. It has to be felt. So, to ease it along." He pulled out a flask.

"What's that?"

"Neurotoxin." Ruby blinked. Then he unscrewed the cap and took a swig, "fuck that's rotten."

Ruby blinked again. What did he just do? "So, in a minute, I'm going to be paralyzed." He grabbed one of the chains to the block, wrapped it around one arm and padlocked it. "You're going to have to protect me from that Grimm."

"Wait!" She screamed as he shot a bolt of lightning in front of the beast. It looked up and started clambering towards them. "Why!"

He sat down against the block and she saw him going stiff, "I have every faith," his throat caught. "in you." His voice died and in a few seconds he was unconscious. The Death Stalker was still marching towards them with a purpose.

Ruby was as paralyzed as her mentor. She couldn't save anyone. She couldn't save Qrow, her teammates, her weapon. Now she had to fight a fucking Death Stalker unarmed? The thoughts tearing through her head kept her in place until the thing was feet away. Maybe she could distract it? Run until her mentor woke up.

Her legs burned already and running in the sand was hard but it was the only thing she could do. So, she took off, screaming at the beast to get it to follow. It was surprisingly fast but she outran it easily enough. "Come on you ugly bastard!"

She kept it close enough to be interested but far enough so if she stumbled in the sand, she'd have time to recover. Meanwhile, she tried to use her eye powers. Shoving as much aura into her eyes as she could. It made her see further and more accurately but it wasn't her powers. What it did do was kill what aura she had left. Half an hour under the Vacuo sun after her already exhausting morning exercise was getting to her.

"It's no use! Come on Azure! Wake up already!" She shouted at her mentor in the distance when she tripped and slid down a dune. Her body was caked in mud from the sweat and sand, which made her chafe badly.

The Death Stalker swiped at her but she easily moved aside and leapt back but it continued to chase her. She knew that her mindset was drawing it closer, fueling it. But she couldn't shut her self-doubt out of her mind.

She could feel herself wearing thin. Feel her legs giving out. Then she heard a voice in the back of her head, it was male, familiar. She knew it from somewhere. "You can't run from this fight. So, face it. You're freaking Ruby Rose. What do you have to fear from some Grimm?"

Qrow. She was sure of it. He wouldn't run. He'd have a scythe but even if he didn't, he'd face the thing. Still, she pumped her legs against the sand. She didn't have any way to disable it, her eyes… damnit. She needed to focus. To protect. She turned to the beast, then her mentor. Fine. He had faith in her? She was going to put that faith to the test. "COME ON YOU UGLY MONSTER!" She ran towards that block where her mentor was tied down, she'd kill him if this worked. She didn't think about what would happen if it didn't.

The beast followed as she hoped and she shoved aura into her eyes, picturing her standing over her mentor. There she was powerful, there she had Crescent Rose. She put herself between it and her mentor. Her mothers voice came to her, "that's perfect." She blinked her eyes open and saw the beast for what it was. Its body was outlined with black smoke and its eyes seemed so dim. She felt almost pity for the beast.

It was closing though and she didn't have time for pity. She looked at it and knew how weak it was, its armor wouldn't protect her from her eyes. No. It wouldn't be enough to get past her. That's right. "STOP!" She shouted, pushing all her aura into her eyes. She felt them burn hot and her vision was flooded with silvery light. When she woke, she thought she failed. It was still there, only completely frozen. Its tail was a foot from her face and she'd used up so much energy she collapsed to her knees. At least it provided some shade.

There she waited for her mentor to wake up, pilfering his pockets. He thankfully had a canteen of water, though she realized he didn't bring any weapons with him. The thought that he believed in her to that extent was something that filled her with pride. The thought that he made her fight that thing made her boil with anger. But she could hear her sister telling her how much of a badass she was, Blake patting her on the back and Weiss not saying much but knowing that meant she was impressed. This was for them. They'd believe in her. She certainly used to.

Those thoughts kept her spirits up while she waited. Hours passed before the drug finally seemed to wear off, he just looked up in the direction of the Grimm and nodded. "I can feel that son of a bitch, he's frozen up good. Probably should've moved just in case though. How are you?" His voice was gravelly and hoarse but she drank all the water.

She punched him in the shoulder, "my eyes are sore. And I nearly died. _You_ nearly died. Don't ever do that again."

He even acted like it hurt, though she knew his aura would have absorbed it. "I don't need to. Now you can be taught to do it on command. With mountains of effort." He slowly stretched his limbs, then with one movement shattered the one-inch thick steel chain holding him to the block.

After, he slowly dug out a cooler from under the block, inside were some water bottles and some strawberry flavored popsicles. They were still frozen. She immediately took one of each, as did he.

"What time is it?" She checked her scroll, "five thirty." He nodded and moved to sit under the dust stalker.

"That's good. I think we'll wait a while before heading back, I need to recover. So, do you. Vacuo is a dangerous place; I have enemies here." She immediately thought of the woman who attacked her, he must have noticed her attitude. "Not those enemies. Those are… well they're not even my direct adversary. I assume she didn't want to hurt me, if she did, she'd have killed you. No, she wanted me to hurt someone else. The enemies I have here are simpler. Assassins, bandits, assholes who hold grudges."

Ruby thought about that. "So… who was she?"

"Now you're asking? You didn't before. She's a lost soul, working for our true enemy." He pointed above him to the death stalker. "The Grimm."

Ruby had more questions. "The Grimm? She's working with the Grimm?"

He shrugged, "in a roundabout way. She works for the one who makes the Grimm. Or controls them. Or… some of them? I'm not sure about the specifics. But the short of it is, she's the real evil. Not a god but immortal. Magic powers. She's doing something evil. She makes moves in the darkness. Most don't know about it. And I can only tell you more if you swear to keep it a secret."

She gulped. It was too much for her not to ask. "I promise."

He shook his head. "swear. On something sacred."

"I swear on the lives of everyone I love to keep it a secret."

"Good." He smiled and stretched his arms, "I hope this bastard doesn't move anytime soon. Good thing freezing him, the shade is lovely." Then he rested against one of its legs, "so. A long time ago, there was this woman. Her name was Salem. She was immortal. She got angry at the gods. They cursed her or something. She controls Grimm. She wants to destroy humankind and build a new one. I think. The one who told me all this likes to speak in either vague sentences or in riddles. But he is trustworthy and I did see this woman, I even fought her. She beat me bad. Qrow was there. As well as two of the best hunters I ever knew."

"That sounds crazy. How?"

"She was just too powerful. She had so much backup so we couldn't all hit her at once. There is a group out there that fights her. Qrow was part of it. Your mother was part of it."

She knew what he was saying, even if he didn't say the words. "They died because of her. She killed them."

"Not directly. But yes, they died fighting her. As have many. She fights her wars in the shadows. As does the group that fights her. Its leader, is a wise and brave man. Unquestionably good I'd say. But his methods… I don't agree. He wishes to fight in the darkness with her. I fight in the light of day. I want to tell you more but they are not my secrets to share. What I can say, is that Salem is planning something big. That there will soon come a time when there will need to be heroes to fight her. Hunters of great skill and resolve, who will meet her darkness with light. Who will fight her hate with love. Who will overcome her power with sheer will. If I live when it happens, I will stand up to her with pride. If not, I hope you take my place."

She nodded. She should have been scared. But she wasn't. Somehow it was like the fact that there was a chance made it seem not just possible but likely. "If I have to, I will."

He grinned. "We chose a hard path. We run to death hoping to bring life. But while it is not easy, it is better the alternative." He then stood as she processed his words.

"I don't really… I'm not sure I get what you mean."

He offered her his hand and he pulled her up when she took it. "It means, that we go to places where monsters are killing people we love and expect to save them. We will fail. I have failed. I have watched friends die. I have seen a city burn as it flooded with too many Grimm to fight. But I have saved friends. I have shielded cities. The deaths were certainly not my fault. The lives saved? They certain were. Never forget that we are bringers of life. Not the other way around. Losing sight of that leads too many hunters to a self-made grave."

That she understood a little better. It set things into perspective. A little. "I think I get it. You're saying that it's not my fault if something bad happens? That if people get hurt, I couldn't have stopped it."

He nodded and started walking. "Exactly. If you try and fail to save someone, that isn't on you. You'll take it like it is. We all do. But reminding yourself of that makes it easier. When the darkness comes, you won't save everyone. You just can't. But you've got to keep trying. You can't let that bring you down."

_Later that day, video call with Mitsuko_

"You killed a Death Stalker? That's awesome! Your mentor is crazy for doing that but at least he believes in you."

She chuckled, having spoken with Mitsuko over the scroll for twenty minutes had already. "He is and he does. How about you? How was school?"

Mitsuko told her about her history lessons, the professor there was an old grouch who droned on and on about the intricacies of political systems of ancient governments. "So yeah, boring. But work was more interesting. It was a busy night tonight."

"So… you want to…"

She watched Mitsuko roll her eyes on her screen. "You're impatient you know. I kind of wanted to chat about that first." Ruby nodded for her to continue. "Well, you know. Uh I usually stop a little shorter than I'd like. I haven't tried anything too… risqué. I want to know how comfortable you are with that." Ruby flushed, she knew what Mitsuko was asking and didn't really know how to respond it. She _wanted_ to. But it was so embarrassing to say that.

"I uh, I think." She stuttered, causing Mitsuko to giggle and call her adorable. "I don't, uhm. Ok. Yeah. I think that would be ok."

She saw Mitsuko nod, "ok. If you get uncomfortable at any point, tell me to stop. I will. If you're not enjoying it it's not going to be fun for me. We should do this over just voice for the first time, I think it would be easier that way."

_**A/N:**__ So yeah, short chapter again. Only this will be about a thousand longer with the 6.1 chapter, which is the lemony scene from the phone sex. It's not particularly story important so I'm separating it for the more squeamish. I enjoyed using the eye powers here and the information Ruby gets is pretty important. For reference, this chapter happens just over a week after the last one. I do intend to change some of the background story up and Ozpin will definitely be more morally gray than in the show. At least in some ways, though like Azure said, he is the good guy. Please leave a review if you can! _


	7. Chapter 6-1 LEMON

Chapter 6.1~Phone sex/LEMON WARNING

"So… Ruby. Why don't you tell me where you want to be and what you'll be wearing. Just for future information, what is underneath it too."

Her cheeks burned as she revealed the information. "My hotelroom back in Haven, I'm in my PJ's, I sent you a pic a few days ago. Black tank top, white pants with roses. Uhm, beneath I've got on red lacy panties. I uh, don't sleep with a bra." She was already starting to pant. It was gonna happen. Even if it was just over the phone.

"Ok. I'm in a white t-shirt and leather pants, my hair is braided up and draped over my shoulder. Underneath I've got on a lacy black bra and panties. I'll set the scene, just tell me when you're ready."

Ruby visualized the outfit; Mitsuko sent her a pic of it and some others a few days prior. Ruby told her she liked it the most and the fact that Mitsuko remembered made her feel stupidly good. "Ready."

"We didn't have time for a date today but I came over last minute to say hi, we ended up talking in the door way for a few minutes and you invited me in. We're chatting on the bed; you can tell by my eyes that I'm here for something more but I want to start slow. My hand is squeezing yours gently and you know what's coming."

"I lean into the kiss, I'm worried. Nervous. But when our lips meet that seems to fade into the background, I let you set the pace but match it with equal intensity."

"My kiss is gentle but lengthy, throughout it you feel one of my hands climbing up your back and my weight pushing you back. Even when you're running out of breath I keep kissing until we get dizzy and come up for air giggling."

Ruby could feel like she was running out of air as she pictured the scene, as well as a slight burning in her thighs. She focused on the scene to get it out of her head, "I look into your eyes, unsure what to say. Between us there's this energy, it's like I'm being drawn to you. I squeeze your hand, looking for some direction."

"I squeeze back and press my head against yours, keeping my eyes locked on yours. I speak softly, with a voice full of lust and love. 'I want to go further tonight. While you're with me.'"

"I nod, keeping my head pressed against yours. 'I don't know what to do.' I say" Ruby really didn't. Yang gave some advice but she had spent a good long while trying to suppress the memory.

"I giggle and kiss your lips, this time with great passion and force, then as I pull away, I push you onto the bed. Before you can get a word out, I straddle your waist, 'that. Kiss me if you get lost. But for the most of it, just follow my lead.'"

Ruby felt her breath hitch and her hand subconsciously moved towards her legs, though she kept it firmly at her side. The thought of masturbating to Mitsuko's voice was just too much, at least while she was listening. "I uhm, I look up and there is this massive blush on my face. But I nod and stare up into your eyes. I trust you and I want this too."

"I lean down and I kiss you again, I'm being a little rougher than usual in my lust. Though for now I'm just keeping it to kissing and using my hands to pin yours down. The only thing you have to worry about, the only thing I'm allowing you to do is kissing back and enjoying it." She heard the scroll be thudded against a pillow and movement on the bed. Perhaps Mitsuko was taking her clothes off? The thought excited her.

Ruby liked it when Mitsuko described physically manipulating her. It was an embarrassing discussion. And now Ruby was seeing that in full force, the image of Mitsuko holding her down was so provocative she almost got lost in it. "Uh. I kiss back." She added after what must have been an awkward pause.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I just got… that was intense. It's hard to think."

"I get that. I'm feeling it to. Don't be afraid to uhm, relieve the pressure. That's all this is for. Exploring our sexuality. Together. I'm doing the same." Ruby saw the mental image of Mitsuko masturbating and suddenly she was awestruck.

"It's really embarrassing. But I will get passed it. Uhm, go ahead and start it back up." Ruby kept her hand where it was for now but she decided she would pleasure herself if the urge struck her.

"I keep kissing you like that for moments that seem to stretch on forever, kiss after kiss to get you excited and wash away the worry with pure bliss. Just as you start to think I'm not going to go any further, I pull back and slide both of my arms underneath the hem of your tank top. I look at you and nod, letting you know my intention."

"I nod back and bite my lip, I want this. But saying that is too hard."

"I smile and begin pulling your shirt off, throwing it off the bed once it's free so I can get a look at you. I didn't expect you to have nothing on underneath and the sight of it is… breathtaking. I go to speak but no words come out, I struggle to tear my eyes from your breasts so I can meet yours. My face wears a questioning look but all I can say is 'you're gorgeous, my rose.'"

Ruby swallowed and found her hand sliding under her panties, that image was too much. And she was called beautiful. She believed it. She didn't usually care about that stuff but coming from Mitsuko it filled her with pride. "I can't speak either. I'd… I'd not realized how much I'd react but I, I'm stunned. But when you say I'm gorgeous my eyes light up and though you can tell I want to hide myself with my hands, I force my arms to my sides."

Ruby let out a moan before she could stop herself but Mitsuko seemed to either not notice or not mind. "I find my confidence again and lean down to kiss you, my hands reach from up your arms to your breasts. They start off gentle, just feeling them at first but slowly they begin to squeeze and grope. I'm losing myself with desire, you can tell just how bad I want you by the way I squirm my legs to get a little friction between my thighs."

"I kiss back and move my hands up to your back, I want to take your shirt off too. To see what lies beneath."

She heard Mitsuko let out a whimper and realized she was doing the same, that thought excited her and took away some of the embarrassment. "I pull back before you can and push your hands away. My words come tinged with pride, 'no touching yet. But since you've been so good, I'll let you see.' I slowly take off my shirt, making you wait to see my bra. Then I reach my hands back but leave it clasped."

"I frown with frustration, 'that's not fair' I say. My voice is filled with desire, 'I want to see.'" Ruby got a message on her scroll and a preview image appeared; she couldn't believe what it was. Mitsuko took a picture of her breasts. The message below said, 'you don't have to do this Ruby. I just wanted to.'

"I chuckled and unclasped the bra. 'Fine. But you only get to look for now. I get to do all the touching.' To cement the idea, I take hold of your wrists and lean down to plant a kiss on your breasts. I'm lazy about it, taking my time to circle your nipples in a ring, doing both before planting a kiss on each. All just to wind you up."

Ruby found it hard to focus on the scene with the real image in front of her but when it blipped off the screen she continued. "I… I start to squirm beneath you. My desire is building. I want you to go further but I don't know how to say it."

The both of them were panting now and occasionally letting out a moan, it seemed both of them were loud in bed. "I giggle and pull away, the grin on my face is something truly devilish. My tone is dripping with lust, it's clear this isn't necessary but desired. 'If you want something, ask for it. Tell me what I need to do.'"

Ruby used her free hand to stifle a loud moan, that was unexpected but so hot for her. "I'm stunned by the statement. I struggle to speak words, the first try coming out a babbling mess. But my desire wins out and after a brief seconds hesitation, I ask 'I want you to… to fuck me. Make me cum.'"

"I nod. 'Make you cum? Ok. How. Hands? Fingers? Tongue?' While I wait, I lean down to begin working on your breasts again." Tongue? She'd do that? Ruby shook the thought; she'd not be able to ask for that if it were really her.

"I'm clearly tempted by option three but eventually I can only say 'fingers. Please.' I'm desperate. My legs are bucking from desire."

"'Very well my rose. I shall give you that reward you seek.' I don't take long to obey my command, as much as I'd like to see what's beneath, I take the easy route and lay beside you. My lips meet yours as I bring a hand down to your sex, I don't hesitate to slide them underneath your panties and begin gently moving them along your folds. Searching out for the spots that make you squirm the most."

Ruby came right there. She knew Mitsuko could hear her; it was one of the best orgasms of her life. Not that she'd really known many. The image was pretty much lost by the time she came through. "I uh, I uhm…"

Mitsuko chuckled, "it's ok. I think that's good for tonight. I didn't expect to even get that far. This was awesome Ruby."

Ruby frowned. "But, I didn't… I mean."

"It's ok. I got enough material to finish myself in short order. I'm glad I was able to do that for you. Being able to please you is a big turn on for me." A bigger turn on for Ruby, she thought.

"I still feel bad. You even sent me that photo…"

There was a pause. "That wasn't smart of me. Don't feel pressured to do the same, I wanted to do it but I should have asked."

"It was great. I just, I'm not really comfortable sending one back just yet. Not that I don't trust you I'm just… I don't think I'd be much to look at."

"That's crazy Ruby. You're hot and I care about you. I'm sure I'd enjoy it. But I think I'd rather wait to see in person. Hopefully it won't be too long."

Ruby would ask Azure if they could go back the next time she saw him. Doing this for real scared her but she wanted to so bad. "Ok. I'll try. Thank you Mitsuko."

"No problem. I have class tomorrow and you have training so let's call it here. But I'll be dreaming of you."

They said their goodbyes and hung up, leaving Ruby free to enjoy the aftermath of that nights scroll call. She decided she'd make this as regular a thing as she could.

_** A/N: **__So that was fun. Phone sex everybody. I hope the format wasn't too difficult to parse or choppy enough that it sucked. I thoroughly enjoyed that myself. As always, please feel free to leave reviews!_


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7~_ Destruction_

"You're distracted." She was indeed distracted, so distracted she didn't hear the words until he kicked her in the chest, sending her into the sand, causing a plume of dust to shoot into the air as she shook herself off. She'd been meaning to ask about returning to Haven but it was more difficult to find the words than she'd thought.

"S-sorry. I uh… it's nothing. Let's continue." She stood up and got into her stance, she had two hours of combat practice left. She'd figure it out afterword.

But Azure wasn't interested in continuing, she could tell by the way he relaxed his posture and stretched his neck. "No. It's not going to be worth anything if you're not putting your all into it. We can talk about whatever it is you want to talk about or move on to another lesson, whichever you prefer."

She nodded, "can we head into the camp then? I want to get out of the heat." Ruby had gotten a little better at subtlety. She wanted out of the heat but more importantly she needed to organize her thoughts. How was she supposed to just ask for a romantic getaway in the middle of training? Whether he saw through it or not he gave a grunt that said yes and walked them towards the camp they'd set up. It wasn't much more than a large hole dug beside a rock covered with a tarp but the ground was cool, had a sleeping bag to sit on and shade that kept the blasted sun out.

"So, what's been on your mind?" He took a seat on his sleeping bag and leaned against the wall, giving off the impression of a younger man. He was always so carefree. She envied that whether she knew it or not.

Taking a seat of her own she started nervously, "so uhm… I was uh. Well I was hoping we'd go to Haven sometime soon. There's someone I want to see. Uhm." He burst out laughing, causing her train of thought to derail in its entirety.

"So, you did get that date then? Teenagers." He chuckled, "sure. I've got to see a friend first but we can head up to Haven in say… three days? We can even stay a while, it's about time you get to doing some proper hunting work."

Ruby blushed, "uhm… thanks." She hadn't expected it to go so easy, though looking back she wasn't sure why. He was a slave driver when it came to training but he was always encouraging her to relax and enjoy life as well.

He leaned in, asking in a conversational tone, "you like this girl then? Love her?" That second one made her think, she definetly liked Mitsuko. She was sweet and beautiful and kind. But love? Ruby had no idea. Thinking about it had her stomach twisting into knots, the uncertainty shocked her. She wanted to do all those things with her, so surely, she loved her. Right?

"Uhm… I think so." She eventually said, with less confidence than she tried to conjure up.

"That's fine. Loving someone you've so rarely interacted with for sure would be a little more than childish. But thinking that love can come from it, that's the type of hopefulness a hunter needs to enjoy their job. This old man hasn't had much experience in the romance department but if you ever need advice, I'm here to give it."

She quietly took it in. She was still swimming with thoughts of Mitsuko and how she fit into her future. She'd always be so far away, while Ruby would be at Beacon, being with other people. How would Weiss feel if Ruby was always thinking about being elsewhere? Did Ruby see them growing old together? Did Ruby want that sort of life for herself? That one question set her down a path of self-reflection that she struggled to shake free from.

"You ok Ruby?" She blinked and looked up to see Azure cocking his head to the side, his eyes closed as ever but she could tell he had been 'watching' her for a while.

"Yeah. I'm just thinking. It's uhm, I don't know if I love her but we've talked about uh… over the phone we chat, a lot. And uh, yeah. It's just weird."

She'd already given away too much. "I see. This is mutual? You both want sex?" If he could see her blushing, he'd be unable to distinguish her from her cloak.

Ruby didn't have a response to that for a long minute. "Y-yes." Was all she could manage to say.

"Ok." He looked down at his legs, "Taiyang… did he teach you about consent?"

Crap. She didn't want to have this conversation. It was too awkward for her. But she had no way out of this one. "Uhm, Yang, uh, she did. Sort of."

He was silent, which made it even more awkward. "I see. But I want to go over it with you before we leave. As your mentor, that's part of my job." She could tell he wasn't happy about the situation either. The fact that she survived a situation that was so awkward it affected him impressed her.

"You don't have to. I'm sure, that Yang's advice was good enough." In truth, Yang didn't speak about it much and she'd blocked out as much of that conversation as she could. But she figured it'd be fine with Mitsuko.

Suddenly, his voice was filled with intensity. "My word on this is final. If sex is too awkward to discuss, how do you plan to actually do the action? Or for you to make your needs, wants and boundaries clear? Perhaps this will be good practice, you need to improve your people skills."

He hadn't screamed it; his voice was level and calm but so decisive she couldn't help but nod and say "ok."

He looked towards the ground again and so did she so they could collect themselves. The conversation was thirty minutes of awkwardness but by the end of it she felt more comfortable by far. He had explained to her how to talk about what she wanted, what she didn't want and ask her partner those things. He was careful not to ask her what she desired, only to tell her how to express those things. He spoke about it differently than Yang had, where she talked about 'taking what you want' and how it could be fun or painful. He told her that sex could be about pleasure, intimacy, both or even neither, just as a release of feelings. That was for her and her partner to decide.

At the end of it, she'd learned a lot more about intimacy than she'd expected to. She was surprised that she didn't regret opening herself up to this conversation. That she answered and asked questions. Maybe she was learning how to deal with people. That was good, she'd never been able to handle herself in a conversation like Yang could.

Afterword's, they resumed combat practice, only it wasn't a spar. "Today you're going to start learning how to use your aura to sense others. Essentially, that's how I see. Though you'll be starting with a much less accurate sense. I can all but count the strands of hair on your head, you, you'll be starting with learning to sense powerful hunters. Other auras."

The lesson was a long one that lasted until they ate dinner, she would close her eyes and activate her aura but instead of concentrating it in one spot she'd cast it out. Just a tiny amount and spread it out, sensing for Azure. She'd managed to do it but he wasn't surprised, as far as auras go there weren't many with one as large as his. And he made no effort to hide his.

_Three days later_

It had been three days since Ruby asked Azure if they could return to Haven, which he promised they would do. First though, they had to meet up with a friend of his before leaving Vacuo. When she asked why, he'd said 'he just might have me assassinated if I came to his country and didn't say hi.' That was what lead her to standing on that sand dune watching as a patchwork of military vehicles approached them. There were a dozen men on hoverboards in orange and gold battle gear along with five large armored snowmobile like machines, only armored and with a gun turret on the back. Each was manned. Then at the center was a huge tank with three turrets that seemed to be made of scrap parts.

"He's sure brought a lot of backup." Ruby was starting to get a little apprehensive about this meeting.

"That's good. If he came alone, I'd have told you to run. Having friends around just means he isn't planning on having a fight with me." That didn't make her feel any better but she stood strong beside her mentor as the vehicles came to a stop and the man came out from a hatch the top of the tank.

He was a veritable giant of a man that towered over her by at least a foot and a half, with tree trunk sized arms covered by an orange robe like garment. He had a smile on his face and a long black spear in his hand, "Azure you old bastard!" He leapt from the top of the tank and glided across the sand as if it were one of Weiss' glyphs. He didn't even need to move.

"Rajah, you crazy showoff." The two embraced on another, the giant making Azure look like a child in his huge arms.

"So, who's the kid?" He looked at Ruby as if he were sizing her up, causing her to raise her aura up. She could sense how powerful he was, along with others in his group, though their auras mixed with one another, she could sense him. Compared to Azure, he didn't seem that strong. But she could tell by his eyes that this man was not to be messed with.

"My name is Ruby. I'm Azure's student." Rajah seemed pleased with her response, even if the question wasn't directed at her.

"Finally. I was beginning to wonder if he'd die without one. This is worthy of celebration. Let's part-"

"No!" Azure screamed to cut him off. "No partying. Not after last time. There will be none of that."

Rajah shook his head, "you're too cold. Come on man, old friends come to visit. An apprentice to take up the will? It's good news! We must celebrate. All that is right demands it."

Ruby looked between the two, Rajah had a wicked grin that would look natural on the face of a demon, while Azure looked reluctant. "You won't let me say no, will you?"

"Of course, I'd let you say no. I just might murder you for it. And that would be a shame, this outfit is new, don't want blood on it."

Azure rolled his eyes. "Bastard. Fine. But keep it slightly below murderous levels for Ruby here. Anybody dies and I stop it." This made Rajah roll his eyes.

"Is he always so mothering? What is a party without a bit of violence?" Ruby hated being in this situation. But Azure had to have brought her here for a reason.

"I-I think that you can have fun without anybody dying."

He didn't seem impressed with that response but nodded. "Fine. So, what are you here in Vacuo for if not to party? You here about that green haired woman? I dealt with her."

Azure didn't seem to know what he was talking about. "Green haired woman?"

Rajah looked at Ruby, "how much does she know about the objects?"

Ruby was now as lost as Azure had been, "nothing. Was she with Cinders faction?" Rajah nodded.

"She was a very good fighter. Had she fought me off the sands I'd have lost for sure. I grow weary of guarding the thing. You know what a hassle it has been my friend?"

Azure looked to Ruby, "I asked him to guard a powerful relic. It holds a great power."

She didn't really know what that meant but Rajah was able to provide some more detail. Perhaps more than she wanted. He suddenly grew loud, "asked me? No. You lie for your pride. Ruby girl, your master saved my life. And I in my naivety thought that if I offered this good man a favor, he would not take much. So, I say he can have anything. Suck his cock? Sure. Give him fortune? No problem. Build him an empire? I'd do it. But no. No, he asked for no easy thing. He asked to guard the sword of destruction itself. That holy blade that can turn a man into a god. It is so troublesome. I have attempted to have him assassinated for it but he keeps killing my assassins. He used to have the courtesy to leave them alive."

"You… bastard. I don't know if I should hug you or stab you. The secret wasn't yours to tell, nor mine. So thanks for letting her know." She felt both men's aura's flare up, colliding against one another. For a moment she thought they'd kill each other but they'd ended up hugging.

"I think I should go now…" she wanted out of there. This was too much. They were too intense.

But of course, Rajah wouldn't have it. "Of course not. The Rajah and the will have been comrades for millennia, we have to celebrate this occasion. Come, come, let's go to my hideout." Not seeing an easy way out, the both of them followed Raja into his tank.

_Three hours later_

The hideout was a military compound with a landing strip of aircraft, hanger bays and large fortifications surrounding the perimeter. However, it housed more than just warriors but civilians who all seemed to lounge about with not much to do when they arrived. Until the party began. Then they all moved to life, heading towards a huge hanger where there were multiple bars, dozens of stripper poles and loud music blaring. People started dancing immediately, drinks were free, there were drugs on offer. The poles were soon occupied by beautiful men and women dressed in either almost nothing or actually nothing.

There were too many bodies, too many people. Ruby had to get out, wondering outside of the place to get some peace and quiet after only a couple of minutes of feeling like she was going to die. The night air was surprisingly cool in the desert and she wrapped her cloak around her. Ruby new it'd be a good long while until she could leave with Azure but she'd rather spend it alone. It was too late to call her sister or Mitsuko and pass the time with them so she decided to get some practice in.

She pushed out her senses, scouting out random auras. An hour later it turned out more useful than she expected. There was one aura over in the direction of the front gate she could make out, strong enough for her to sense if she focused on. Only at one point, it disappeared. "What the?" She focused again but sensed nothing.

Her adrenaline spiked and she instantly flipped into combat mode, bringing out that analytical, confident Ruby that commanded her team. She sensed far as she could, noticing a blip outside of the base. It was far or feint but she definitely sensed it. Then she walked over to the gatehouse where the guard had been, something was very, very wrong.

And the wrong found her before she found it. "What do we have here?" It sounded familiar, male. She knew the voice but only put a face to it when she turned and saw him. That man she fought with professor Goodwitch before Ozpin brought her to Beacon.

"You? What are you doing here?" She brought her aura back in, she'd gotten so much stronger she was sure she could beat him in a fight. But she wasn't going to take any risks.

"Me? Well I'm here to capture a little sword. I unfortunately don't have time for vengeance. Neo, handle her." Suddenly there was a man in a guards uniform behind her, sweeping at her throat with a bladed cane. She used her semblance to leap away before any damage occurred though.

"Guards!" She shouted before charging the pair, she had no idea how capable her opponents were but she had faith that she could beat them. She activated her silver eyes and saw the guard change shape into that of a small girl with eyes that seemed to change color. The man appeared weaker, frailer. She could feel his fear, see that it guided him.

She drew Crescent Rose and began to fight the two of them, finding her movements so much faster than when she last fought him. She also noted people rushing out of the compound towards her as she battled them, "agh, you… how? How did you improve so much!"

"I trained with the best. At Beacon and elsewhere!" The girl, Neo, was a significantly better fighter than the man and Ruby found herself more of a match, though for some reason she couldn't tell the girl was frustrated. As Ruby collided with her sword that became an umbrella and back again, she could tell her opponent was distracted.

"You can't see it can you?" The girl finally shouted, just as two guards came in to take Torchwick off of her.

"See what?"

The girl shouted in a rage and lunged at her, faster and more aggressively than before. Her focus had come back with a vengeance, putting Ruby on the backfoot. Ruby wasn't as good at defense as she was at offense, her fighting style relied on quick strikes and lots of movement.

The 'fight' became more of a race, Ruby dodging and blocking while back peddling so she could figure out a strategy to deal with her opponent. She was faster than the woman but she could tell she was also weaker and less experienced, though not by much.

"Azure trained you to fight like that? What does retreat give you girl?" Rajah was behind her, though when she looked at him, she didn't see the giant man. She instead saw something strange; his whole body was void black, outlined in a fiery orange light. It was monstrous but beautiful. The distraction allowed Neo to kick her legs out from under her, forcing her to the ground. Rajah made no move to help.

She looked back towards Neo and rolled out of the way of a thrust, finding her feet. "Why aren't you helping me?" She shouted without looking, continuing her current strategy.

"Advice _is_ help girl. Besides. I have a fight after this. The strong one is approaching." Ruby was losing energy faster than Neo but the girl seemed too hard to take down, she had no openings in her attack.

"Then give some advice!" She found herself lunging out of the reach of another attack before earning a few seconds respite when some of the half-naked partiers came out to fire their weapons at Neo. She blocked them with her umbrella and Rajah scolded them for it.

"Don't interfere! Go man the defenses. Girl. A warrior understands sacrifice can force a way through. Good luck with the riddle, it'd be a shame if you'd die." Neo tried to strike him but from the ground rose a black tendril wreathed in that fire, blocking it instantly and throwing her against a wall.

"You're too young to be fighting me. The girl is more than enough. If you win, I will let you leave here alive." He walked away, leaving Ruby alone with the girl. She could still hear people partying, even with the gun shots and violence occurring, they were staying out of it.

"I don't like him." Neo declared in a soft, fairy like voice.

Ruby nodded. "He's crazy. Any idea what he meant by sacrifice?" Neo shook her head. "So _why_ are you here again? The sword? You realize he's guarding it right? You can't beat him. You should leave."

Neo laughed and smiled sadistically; she didn't say anything else but the smile said enough. It said she was going to enjoy killing Ruby before she left. Only Ruby wasn't about to be murdered for her fun.

The next bout of fighting was a lengthy engagement, which ended with Ruby draining a good chunk of her aura, though she managed to do the same to her opponent, who Ruby could tell was only slightly better off than herself. Something about the way she glowed less, the silvery light around her reflecting less and less told her that. It was a way of judging an opponent's aura. And she could even use it to guess her opponents next attack.

Sacrifice. Rajah could not have meant use her eye power, that would be crazy. She didn't even know how anyways. But the idea that came to her was obvious. She took her stance. **BOOM!** Before she could set her plan in motion, the ground shook and she turned to see a huge flash of light at the opposite edge of the compound. There were dozens of figures moving in but only three caught her attention, Rajah in his orange glow, Azure in his silver and a mass of energy in the shape of a man as large as Raja leading the attackers. His aura was easily twice as strong as Azure's.

While she was distracted, Neo leapt at her and sliced her arm. It stung like hell but she saved her aura, she wouldn't need it to beat her. "Right. Sacrifice. I'm warning you. I will win. Run now." Ruby didn't want to do this. For one, it'd hurt like hell when Neo stabbed her. For two, she didn't want to kill the girl but she'd have to, she'd only get one chance.

She choked up her grip on Crescent Rose in one hand and readied for Neo to attack her, the opponent of hers seemed to be on edge but she wasn't going to flee. Instead, Ruby watched her aura focus, the attack was going for her arm. But Ruby moved into it, allowing it to pierce her chest. The pain shot through her and caused her to freeze up, buying Neo a second to react to the scythe baring down on her. She leapt back, throwing up both arms to block.

Ruby fell forward and her vision fading as she looked for the girl but she could clearly hear the sounds of two thuds hitting the ground with her. She knew what happened and dared not look, instead she watched the fight and pulled all her aura into fixing her wounds. She didn't want to think about the fact that she maimed a woman, who sounded so lovely, who surely didn't deserve what happened to her. Not to think about the fact that she'd bloodied Crescent Rose on a person, in that way. She hated fighting people.

She forced those thoughts down as she watched the fight with her normal vision. She realized that Rajah could control sand and that the man they were fighting was just a man, though freakishly strong. The three of them stood on another level, Rajah didn't seem as strong as the other two but his power evened the playing field between him and Azure, who through lightning around with ease. Often into the sand, creating glass spires they could break and send towards their enemy.

Before she could see the end of it, she passed out from exhaustion.

Later that morning, Scroll call with Weiss

Ruby had tried Yang, tried Mitsuko and tried Blake. None answered this early, Hazel never got up in the morning. She needed a distraction, Rajah congratulated her for her bravery, Azure was apologetic for not being able to help her. She didn't want to think about what happened. So, she dialed the only other friend whose number she had. "Hello Ruby. What do you want?"

Weiss sounded angry. Ruby could picture her getting out of bed to answer the phone and suddenly felt a little guilty. "S-sorry. I was, hoping we could talk. It doesn't have to be about anything specific. Uhm… if I woke you up, I'm sorry." She imagined herself on the bunk above Weiss, looking down at her partner. She'd gotten better at imagining things… and bolder. Weiss was attractive in that picture. The sun from the window made her appear to glow in her sleepware. Talk about a distraction.

"Ruby!"

She blinked, "sorry."

"You're the one who called me…" Weiss sounded surprisingly gentle. There was a tenderness to her voice. "What happened?"

"Please… can we not talk about that? Anything else." She tried not to sound too desperate.

The annoyance in her voice returned when Weiss spoke next, "let me guess, it's about that girlfriend of yours?"

Well that confirmed Yang had shared that bit of information with the rest. "No. No. She's great. We're… we're good. I just, there was a fight here in Vacuo. I, I hurt someone. Bad. She was the bad guy but you know how I feel about that."

Weiss still seemed a little bit peeved but the tenderness returned to her voice, "ok. I understand. How about training? Have you learned anything new?"

"Yeah. I learned a lot. About controlling my aura better, fighting, I'm twice as good as before. Maybe even better. I could take on an army of Grimm and I'm just getting started." She usually didn't like showing off but she wanted to give Weiss every reason to come back to Beacon. To stay friends.

"I see. H-how about your girlfriend? Uhm, what's she like?" Ruby didn't notice the overly curious tone Weiss took. Or the anxiousness.

"She's beautiful. And she's so nice, she helped me a lot when I was in Haven. I'm going to see her again soon."

Weiss was quiet for a minute. "Oh, I see… so, you love her then?" It was impossible for Ruby to miss how nervous Weiss sounded, though she was more caught off by the question.

"I… uhm, why do you want to know?"

"It's, uh, uhm… it's nothing. You aren't… no, uh, I just thought talking about her would make you feel better." A skilled listener would have noticed the terror in her voice but Weiss hid it well enough for Ruby not to notice.

"Oh. I… I don't know, to be honest. I've thought about that a lot recently. I feel like I could. But I need to know her more before I can say for sure."

Again, Weiss was quiet for a while and when she spoke, she was hard to hear. "I see. Well. Uhm, ok. I need to go. I'm sorry I can't help more."

"Ok. By Weiss." Ruby was surprised. The whole conversation had helped but she never heard Weiss so off before. She was always laser focused.

Just before she hung up, she heard Weiss say "Ruby…"

"Yeah?"

"It's nothing." Ruby was bad at picking up subtlety but Weiss was vulnerable enough for even her to notice something was wrong.

"Doesn't sound like nothing."

There was a long pause. "It's nothing." Weiss said more firmly before hanging up. Leaving Ruby feeling guilty. She messed up. But she wasn't sure how.

_**A/N:**__ Well this was a chapter. I can firmly say that it happened. But I can't really say that it's a chapter I'm proud of. I am not used to third person limited and I also struggled overall to keep my tenses in order for some reason. Or to form good sentences. I feel like I botched the prose aspect of this part but I need to get something out. I rewrote this a few times and at least I think the story worked. I'll try to practice fight scenes and stuff before I release another one of those. Sorry about the long wait. Anyways, some notes to get out here is yeah, Weiss is totally in love with Ruby. She's got lots of baggage related to being gay, to being vulnerable to another person, etc… and it's hard for her to come to terms. She's also struggling with abandonment and believes Ruby will not come back to Beacon. Or thinks it's possible. Oh, that big dude was Hazel. And lastly, update on upcoming chapters. Next two will be 7.1 and 7.2, the first being Ruby's first time having sex and a date, just fluff. The next being Ruby going on a hunting trip, chatting with Mitsuko and Hazel. Then about month later in timeline chapter 8 begins. The last day of school at Beacon, Ruby is gonna go say hi to her friends. Blake incoming! As always, comments are appreciated!_


	9. Chapter 7-1

Chapter 7.1

Ruby idly tapped her foot and looked down at her scroll, she'd been sitting on the corner of the bed in the inn watching the minutes tick by for the last half an hour. Mitsuko was supposed to come pick her up any minute now and she couldn't get her nerves to settle. She was excited but anxiety clawed at her from every corner of her mind, thoughts she'd never had before were bubbling up. 'What if she doesn't find you sexy?' 'Should you put on makeup?' 'What if you screw it up?' She was so absorbed in her thoughts she almost didn't hear the knock on the door.

"Coming!" She jumped off the bed and hurried over to the door before stopping to take a breath. She whispered to herself, "it's just a date. You can do this." After counting to three in her head she opened the door to reveal her girlfriend. She was dressed in tight jeans, a white tank top and a cropped leather jacket. Her hair was done in a ponytail draped over her shoulder.

"How's it going?"

Ruby was frozen in place for a few seconds but managed to nod, "uh good. Uh, you? How are you?"

"I'm fine. Come on, I think you'll like what I have planned." Mitsuko held out her hand to her and she took it after a second of hesitation. Despite a slight increase to the tightness in her chest, the warmth of her hand was rather pleasant.

Mitsuko was pulling her along when she asked, "I'm sure I will… so what do you have planned?"

She stopped in place and giggled, "be patient, I want it to be at least a little surprise." She then pulled on Ruby's arm so that she lurched forward and was looking up at Mitsuko from extremely close. She had to bite her lip to keep from stuttering or making any embarrassing sounds, "you look adorable by the way." Ruby's cheeks grew hot and the tightness in her chest strengthened, while part of her was hoping for a different adjective, she'd take adorable.

"And you look, uhm…" Ruby backed slightly away, "uh, hot." It was not the delivery she wanted but the best she could manage.

"Actually, I was starting to think the air was pretty chilly tonight but I guess this jacket is a little warm." Ruby frowned, thinking she was misunderstood.

Wanting to get out a compliment that would be understood, she quickly said "I meant… well, you know, you look uhm, really uh, attractive."

"This is gonna be fun." Mitsuko giggled, "we should get going." Ruby wasn't sure if her laughing was a good sign but she followed when Mitsuko started pulling her along.

They made it to the upper levels of the city right beneath the school, where they entered a garden. It was like the park they had talked in the last time she was here but smaller and gated off, though Mitsuko's scroll let them in. Ruby figured it must be tied to the school.

Beside a small pond there was a blanket laid down with a picnic basket set to the side, "this is usually the teachers garden but I'm friends with the head of the club that manages it as well." The first thing Ruby thought was that Beacon didn't have any clubs, the second was a burst of anxiousness that Mitsuko wanted to do _it_ here.

"Uh… uhm…"

Mitsuko turned to face Ruby and cocked her head, "something wrong? I thought you'd like the privacy…."

Ruby swallowed and her cheeks flushed, "uh… I uh." She tried to get her mind past the images flooding through her brain but they overwhelmed her.

"What's- Oh, uhm…" Mitsuko blushed, "uh, I, don't worry. Uhm, I just wanted to eat, gaze at the stars. Uhm, don't worry." Once the information reached her Ruby felt relief flood through her, along with an equally confusing and embarrassing tiny bit of disappointment. At least chiding herself for being silly helped get her mind off of it.

"Ok. Uh… in that case I do like it." She shifted her gaze away and let go of Mitsuko's hand while she rearranged her thoughts for the zillionth time.

By the time she turned back she saw Mitsuko sitting on one edge of the blanket, looking up at her with an intense gaze. It made her more anxious but she couldn't turn away this time, so she stared back. "Sit down. We can, uh, just relax a bit, talk. Just think about it like hanging out with a friend or your teammates, that's kinda what we are. Just with some extra stuff involved."

Ruby nodded slowly and took a seat on the other end of the blanket hoping the distance would help her calm her heart down for now. For all Mitsuko said, Ruby certainly didn't think of her like a friend. She didn't dream about most of her friends and her heart didn't race when she was with them. Eventually Mitsuko snapped her out of her thoughts, "so uhm, Ruby, how long are you here in Haven?"

The question was so innocent Ruby couldn't help but answer, "uh, about a month. Azure wants me to do more missions, get some experience."

"I hope you didn't have to work too hard just to come out here and visit me, not that I mind." Mitsuko was digging around the picnic basket and the fact that Ruby could look at her more freely seemed to ease the tension.

"Actually, I just told him I wanted to come see you… that led to an awkward conversation but he supported it. Wants me to get experience and enjoy life." Mitsuko pulled out a white bottle and two glasses and poured a red liquid into both, Ruby could only assume it was wine.

"Don't worry, I don't want you drunk in case, well, anything comes after. It's not strong." Ruby took the glass that Mitsuko extended to her and held it up to her nose, it smelled sweet and fruity. "I'm a little surprised your teacher is ok with you doing this, he must be a pretty relaxed person."

"I don't know. He's, hmmm, different. He doesn't think like any adult or kid I know; my dad is pretty laid back but that means he can be inattentive. Azure, he notices everything." She pressed the glass to her lips and when she found she enjoyed the taste; she took a big sip.

"It sounds like you admire him." Ruby nodded and watched Mitsuko pull out all the food she had packed away, a couple of delicious looking sandwiches and a stack of _cookies_. They were placed just out of reach so Ruby had to scoot forward to snatch one, "hey." Mitsuko was too late, Ruby was already half way through her first one.

"Sorry." Mitsuko was laughing though, which as fun a sound as it was, suddenly made her think of Weiss and how she'd scold her. Though a few more seconds of listening to her girlfriend laugh made the loneliness melt away.

"It's ok, I made them for you after all." She chuckled some more, "did you like it?"

Ruby blushed but met her girlfriend's eyes, "it was delicious." She felt comfortable enough to inch closer, talking about her mentor and cookies had managed to calm her down. Not that she wasn't anxious anymore but it was at least manageable now.

"I'm glad. You want to eat now? Or we could just lay back and look up at the stars for a while."

She looked up at the clear sky above them, which had a surprising number of stars visible for being over a city. "I'm not that hungry yet."

Mitsuko took hold of her hand and squeezed it as they both laid back to gaze up at the sky. They laid there in quiet, relaxed silence for a few wonderful minutes. Enough time for Ruby to rearrange her thoughts once again until she started to worry, she was boring Mitsuko and spoke up. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything really. What do you talk to your friends about when you're alone together?" Class, other friends, Yang's girlfriends… Ruby went through the list, trying to find a topic that worked.

"Uhm… you know, stuff… how about, yeah, hobbies. What do you do for fun?" She chided herself for her delivery but at least she thought quickly. She'd get better at this small talk thing if it killed her.

"Well, besides for doing you over the phone, I like noise. You've heard me talk about how much fun dancing is for me and I like drinking with friends. If I didn't have to work so much I'd be a much more popular person I guess."

The first answer made her blush, the others worried her. Ruby liked quiet, noise was ok on occasion but she doubted she'd ever really enjoy parties or night clubs like her sister. "Oh, so… why'd you bring me out here?"

She giggled, "Ruby, just cause I like one thing doesn't mean I can't appreciate another. And a getaway is ok every now and then, it's just not my go to. Besides, this was for you." Mitsuko rolled over and kissed Ruby's cheek, "how about you? Did you find any hobbies since I first met you?"

Ruby took the hand that wasn't holding Mitsuko's and held it to her face where she'd been kissed while smiling like an idiot. She liked that her girlfriend had thought to make her comfortable first and decided she'd have to repay her. "Well, I haven't had that much time to do that. Most of my free time is spent talking to you or my sister or doing extra training. But I've been better because of it."

She turned away as she thought of all the little improvements, she'd noticed in herself. She _had_ been happier, she smiled more, she talked with her sister and got more joy out of that too. She felt more like herself. That was good. "That's good, just, don't overwork yourself. I honestly don't know why you'd spend so much time doing extra training, it sounds like he works you pretty hard anyways."

"He does. But I want to be the best. And I enjoy it. Exercise and training are just part of who I am."

"The best sounds pretty difficult. Honestly, I'll settle for a nice job with an agency for a while, into teaching. I've never been the hero type." That surprised Ruby. Mitsuko seemed so… heroic to her. She'd helped Ruby that night by talking to her and giving her some guidance.

She thought thought it and finally said, "I guess teaching is pretty important. That's what my dad does. But I could never deal with all those people looking at me every day, besides, I've always wanted to be like my mother. Saving people, hunting things. Travelling too."

"I guess we're pretty different huh." Mitsuko whispered it out, almost like she'd thought it rather than intended to say it. But Ruby couldn't unhear it.

It felt like the silence was growing heavier and more awkward, Ruby was too busy thinking and guessed that Mitsuko was doing the same. What would they actually do together? How long would it last… the distance was fine for Ruby but for Mitsuko? It was maddening.

Mitsuko came out of it first, "Ruby, let's eat."

"Ok." That would help. Cookies would cheer her up.

Mitsuko refilled their glasses of wine and set the sandwhiches on their plates before they started to eat, mostly in silence. Save for the occasional awkward glance at the other and Mitsuko asking if the food was good, which Ruby truthfully replied with a simple 'yes' each time.

They finished and Mitsuko held out the stack of cookies, which Ruby began to devour as Mitsuko spoke. "Sorry for killing the mood. But the night's still young right? I want things to go well for you."

For perhaps the first time, Ruby stopped herself half way through eating a cookie. A thought hit her like six tons of bricks and a purple hippo, "what about for _you?_"

Mitsuko smiled weakly, "I want it to go good for me too. I really do hope it works out and we're girlfriends for a long time, you're cute and gentle and kind. Talking to you has been a great way to decompress. But I've loved and lost before and we're not far in, if things don't work out, I will be fine. But I want to make sure that you have a good first date, maybe a good first-time having sex and all the rest. You've earned that."

Ruby frowned. It wasn't at all like what she imagined romance would feel, even in the recent weeks where she'd actually given it some thought. She'd imagined life altering decisions and feelings, terrible breakups and beautiful confessions. Not… what she'd just been told.

"Ruby, look at me." Ruby met her gaze and saw the tender look in her eyes, "I care about you. A lot. I don't want to hurt you. Try and think about it like this. Right now, I'm your first try and love. If it doesn't work for whatever reason, at the very least, you know I'll be honest about it and still care about you after. You'll be more experienced for next time. But if it does work, nothing is lost." Mitsuko reached out and grabbed her hands, holding them gently, "I do want it to work. So, let's give that a try."

She eventually nodded and Mitsuko leaned in for a kiss, which Ruby readily accepted. She just couldn't keep overanalyzing her thoughts and decided to just go with it for tonight, which finally allowed her to melt into the kiss as they embraced. That one lead to another and another and those lead to Mitsuko pushing her back down against the blanket as they kissed. Despite the pounding in her heart and the knots running through her stomach, every move of her hands and sound that escaped her lips felt so easy.

They were like that for a few minutes before Mitsuko pulled back and Ruby whined, extending her hands to pull her girlfriend back on top of her. "I'm not done."

Mitsuko nodded, blushing down at her. "I know…" she swallowed "…but if we keep going, I might not be able to stop." Ruby blushed, she was nervous as hell but she didn't want to walk back to the inn. She didn't want to risk her nerves blowing it up. And most importantly, she just wanted to stop thinking and do it. Kissing felt sooo good and going further, Ruby new that would be better. Impulsiveness was more her style anyways.

"No one can see us right?"

Mitsuko blushed, "a-are you sure? We don't have to…"

Ruby was at her limit, "Mitsu, just, please, here." She said it with complete seriousness despite how embarrassed she was.

Mitsuko seemed hesitant for a few seconds, then nodded and leaned down to kiss Ruby. It was a long, lustful kiss that was so intense Ruby hardly noticed Mitsuko pulling her arms up above her head and pinning them there with one hand until they pulled apart to catch their breaths.

**LEMON INBOUND**

Ruby felt her mind slipping as the fog of lust clouded her thoughts but it was such a wonderful feeling she didn't mind in the slightest. In fact, she gave into it as Mitsuko kissed her and began to moan effeminately into their kiss. Her girlfriend began hiking up her shirt, slowly revealing the flesh beneath, which Mitsu's hands danced on, sending shockwaves up her body. "Like that?" Mitsu pressed her forehead against Ruby's and grinned down at her, "want them to keep going further?"

Ruby nodded, "uhuh." And Mitsu kept tugging the shirt upwards, until Ruby felt the cold night air on the flesh around her bra and she gave out a squeak.

"If you get cold, just press yourself against me." Mitsu kissed her playfully and pulled back so she could pull off Ruby's shirt in full.

Ruby blushed and nodded, "s-should I…" Mitsu nodded back and Ruby leaned forward just a little to reach behind her back and undo her bra. She left it loose but still covering herself as she looked up at Mitsu, with just a bit of doubt left in her mind. "Were still together after this, right?"

Mitsu nodded, "of course. And remember, this is your show. We can stop at any point." Ruby smiled and slowly began to remove the bra, though Mitsu stopped her. "I want to be the one to do that."

Mitsu leaned down and began kissing Ruby, getting her back into the mood before one of her hands grabbed Ruby's and pinned them back over the head. Then, with all the gentleness that she could muster, Mitsu slowly removed Ruby's bra and leaned back to look at her.

"You're beautiful, Ruby."

The compliment shot through her like a drug and Ruby smiled upwards, "can you… take yours off?"

Mitsu nodded and removed her own shirt and bra with much less ceremony, letting Ruby see her girlfriend's nakedness in person for the first time. She didn't know what to say and instead, she just looked up in awe.

From there, their bodies did the talking. Mitsu wasn't overly gentle but nor was she rough, though she was always in control of things. Being the first to remove Ruby's pants and begin to tease her sex, then removing hers and guiding Ruby through touching her. Then when they'd recovered a bit after lying beside one another, Mitsu got back on top of Ruby and began to kiss her greedily. Then slowly, her lips left Ruby's and began kissing her cheek, her neck, then down word, stopping at her breasts to tease Ruby for a few moments before continuing down to Ruby's pussy.

Ruby was having trouble keeping her quiet until Mitsuko reminded her and she balled up her fist, pulling at the blanket as Mitsu gave Ruby her second orgasm of the night. From there, things were a blur until they had to leave.

_**A/N:**__Huh, only a few months off schedule. Well that's not __**so**__ bad right? __Yeah, I'm sorry, I had a lot of difficulty with this chapter. And Covid. And other things. But I hope you appreciated it, I enjoyed everything up to the lemon. From there, I had a bit of trouble getting into the headspace and I think that's in part me trying to force the conclusion. I certainly think that's a thing that could have happened. But part of me things it might have been better to delay their first time, after that conversation. Though Ruby unthinkingly doing impulsive things is a thing and I think all in all it went ok. Next chapter is the interlude thing, that is, coming together, ish. Anyways, sorry for dying on ya'll. Hope I will update by the end of the month. Who knows, maybe I'll be done in a few days. My inspiration for writing this has struck back up, by some miracle._


	10. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 ~End of beginnings

Part 1

**BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!** Ruby bolted upright and fumbled around for her scroll, to turn off that terrible, ungodly noise. She finally managed it, though not before she heard "Ruby… it's not even dawn…" It hadn't been that long since their first night together but Mitsu had made a habit of sleeping over, though they'd only actually done it once more.

"S-sorry." She looked out the window to find it had indeed not been light yet, "master wants me up early today." She used the light of her scroll to lead her to the shower. She didn't want to keep Mitsu from getting a good rest as she'd already been a bit irritable the night before. That meant it took a bit longer for her to get ready and she ended up sprinting to the usual meeting place while munching down some energy bars but it was worth it. The time for Mitsu and her to be together was minimal, as she had work and Ruby had training. But spending some time together before bed and being in her arms was relaxing and valuable to her, even if the dates beforehand usually le

She was just starting to get to the thoughts that worried her when she arrived at the meeting place, finding Azure already there waiting for her. He was making tea by a fire as she approached, "sit. We won't be training today." Ruby groaned internally as she sat beside him, no training always meant more lessons. Still, she took the tea that he offered.

"Today, I will teach you centering. A mindfulness technique, which will grant you some advantages in a fight. You'll learn to put your mind into a fight and give it your full attention." Ruby frowned. She could already do that.

"But master, I've already learned how to give into my fighting instincts."

He smirked and took a long drink of tea, "yes. But that is only one half as good. When you spar with me, you give into muscle memory and instincts, blocking out the rest of your mind. Despite the fact that you've mastered all the fighting basics, are rapidly expanding your aura supply and have a solid grasp of aura control, you have yet to master your mind. And that, is what this is about. You are going to learn how to clear it, quickly, then choose what to dedicate your entire focus on. You'll be able to use your head and fight more calmly, more freely. You'll be less susceptible to fear, pain and doubt. You'll also be able to plan more effectively, which as a leader, is extra important for you."

All that did sound pretty awesome. Ruby remembered the stalker and the Beowolves and, she shuddered as she recalled the incident in the forest. It still stung even now. If she had been able to calm herself down- she shook her head free of the thought. "I am ready to learn."

"Good." He set down his tea cup and stood up, "I want you to close your eyes and think about something. The waterfall you pass every morning maybe, or the memory first time you met your girlfriend or something else. Something you know well, you revisit often. Push everything else out. Hear it, breathe in the smells, the sounds, the feelings. Focus on that. And only that. And when there is nothing, then you let it go."

She frowned, declaring incredulously "meditation? _That's_ your secret technique?"

"No. Meditation is part of it. It's the start. But the goal isn't emptying yourself entirely. It's being singular in focus. Once you let go, pick a new thought. And focus on that. Today, you will repeat this until sundown. And then, you will practice focusing during free time and during the times I'd be teaching you your non-combat lessons. Once you have mastered it, you'll practice eyes open. And then walking. And then sparring. Normally, developing a battle calm takes months of practice. But I want to teach it to you in half a month. Take to this as you've taken to everything else and you will master it by then. You should know, I believe your teammate Blake has already got a firm grasp on this, even if she doesn't know it by name."

She blinked; Blake did always seem so calm. Even in the most dangerous situations. "What makes you so sure?"

"I know about them from what Ozpin tells me. And I know her parents. She has natural aptitude. And Weiss, likely has natural aptitude for Aura control. Yang has a great quantity of it. It's unfair how advanced your team is compared to the others to be honest. But all the same, you _must_ surpass them. So, you can take what I teach you and teach them and become stronger as one."

She gulped. There was something about his tone she couldn't place, not anxious or fearful but somewhere in there, there was a warning. She wasn't planning on slacking off her training but this encouraged her to take it as seriously as she could. "I'll do my best master."

He nodded. "Good. Now, I've got to go. But I expect you to be here when I get back."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm off to do some training of my own. I have yet to master something my mentor taught me when I was very young, as he didn't get to stick around to teach me the rest. But now, I think I know how." It was just cryptic enough for her to know she shouldn't probe further. Yet.

Instead, she focused on the task at hand and tried to think of something to focus on. She started with the waterfall, it was nearby enough for her to almost imagining from this distance, which brought some sensations to her mind. Though she couldn't really get a picture of the water rushing over the rocks in her mind. She didn't know how long she spent on that but it had to be at least an hour before she gave up and her eyes were starting to feel strained from forcing them closed.

She opened them, took a breather and thought about what was next. Settling on her first 'date' with Mitsuko when they hadn't been dating. It was something and though she could picture the cherry blossoms, the light of the moon, the smell of her perfume… it was stained with all the surrounding emotions. Her time with Mitsuko was _good_. She enjoyed her company and being with her made things better, even that night they'd gone to sing karaoke with Mitsu's team and a few friends. It made it bearable. But Ruby couldn't help but feel this sense of dread, like she knew it wasn't going to work.

That certainly got her to focus, when her thoughts latched onto the doubt and began spiraling out. Leading her to other moments. To the forest, which she ran from in her mind to that night where Crescent Rose was broken in patch. She couldn't seem to snap out of her mental state and open her eyes, instead she ran through all her fears and insecurities, as her mind encouraged her to find something to focus on, until she remembered the voice. That night with Cinder. Other times. Her mothers voice. She could hear them. And suddenly, the doubt and anxiety ebbed away.

"M-mom?" She called out, her eyes opening as if she could see her image. But all she could see was the sun sinking in the sky. It had been hours and her face was wet with tears. She almost didn't want to go back, didn't want to deal with… whatever happened to her. But she had to hear her voice again. Once more she replayed that night in Patch, trying to push past her failure. Trying to push past the memory of Crescent Rose being damaged. Trying to get to the sounds of her mother's voice in her head. And she latched onto it, _Usurper. Do not give in. Fight! He was one of us._ The words echoed around in her head, they were so full of emotion but beneath them all was a calm, loving tone. It was something she'd heard but never truly known.

Ruby began to cry again, as she clung to the words. She was supposed to let go and move on but she replayed them again and again. She's gone through so much so quickly. She'd lost her uncle, she nearly got her closest friend killed, she'd been attacked by an assassin, she maimed someone. She pushed it all down but now it was coming out. She felt safe, with these words playing in her head. Safe with her mother. And she couldn't help but cry.

Every time she got too wrapped up in crying and her memory faded, she calmed herself down and refocused, summoning the memory back up. Then, after half a dozen times, when she opened her eyes, the tears almost fading, she saw the world around her had changed. She could see the auras around the trees… her eyes had activated. And she felt the urge to call out again, "m-mom?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and it was as if her cloak got heavier around her, though she saw no evidence of anyone to cause it. _Ruby… you must get past this. _

"M-mom!" She called out, desperately looking around for her. But she saw nothing. Only more words, _Ruby!_ Her mothers voice was harsh, _do not go chasing the dead. Choose the living._ "But… mom, please… I need you." Her voice was small, weak. She'd never sounded like that. She'd never been so vulnerable. _Very well. But if I am here, I shall help you fight._

Ruby felt her vision darken and she was brought back to the woods, the emerald forest. She was running. "No… please. Not here."

_No? My daughter is afraid? I know her to be braver than that._

Ruby felt her throat go dry as she came across the first Grimm, it was a quick kill but she knew what was going to happen next. And she didn't want to see it. "Please." She begged. "I never want to relive this."

_Then face it. Or it will haunt you forever. Remember your resolve. Remember your teachers. Yang gave you courage. Qrow taught you how to face monsters. Taiyang taught you to believe in yourself. Azure taught you resolve. So, face it, my daughter. You can do it._ Ruby didn't know if that was true, as she could never bring herself to relive this. But she couldn't back out of her own accord, so she didn't know what else to do but face it.

_Good. Do this on your own will. So it won't hold you down any longer._ Ruby saw herself get surrounded, her emotions getting to her. Saw the flash of crescent rose and the flying petals as she tore through them with a vengeance. She heard the sounds of her teammates calling for her. And the sounds of more Grimm running through the woods. But loudest of all was the drum beat that was her heart. Soon enough, her teammates had arrived to rescue her. But they weren't in much better shape, running low on ammo and covered in scrapes and bruises.

Blake was eerily quiet, even Yang looked afraid and Weiss was scolding her, trying to drag her back. But she would have none of it. She just kept swinging, not caring if she lived or died. Right up until as the largest Ursa she'd ever seen jumped up behind her, jaws aiming right around her head. There was sudden pain in her side and she felt herself go sideways as someone took her place. "No! NOOO!" She screamed, as she watched the Ursa clamp itself around Weiss. She was sure it was dead. But then, it was frozen. Blood poured out of Weiss but Yang pulled her out and she was still in one piece. Though Ruby was up again, not seeing or knowing. Instead, she went on the murder path once more, expecting the girl she loved to have been killed.

"But… she- I froze it?" _Yes. Your feelings for the girl woke your powers._ Feelings? The train of thought was unavoidable. She'd always known that she had some non-platonic feelings for Weiss. She showed up too often in her dreams and other things. But now, it was clear that it was more than just attraction, though that left her confused. Perhaps just as important, she felt a weight being shoved off her shoulders. Sure, she'd put Weiss in that situation. But she'd done something to save her. She wasn't helpless.

After reliving the experience, Ruby couldn't help but avoid any more centering practice. She was mentally exhausted and running out of bandwidth. She learned too much about herself too quickly and truthfully, all she wanted to do was curl up and fall asleep. She still had no idea what to do about Mitsuko, no idea what to do about Weiss. She was scared how much doubt and fear was lying in the back of her mind. And yet, there was this warm, hopeful feeling in her, like tomorrow would be better. And the day after.

It was only sometime later that Azure returned, she could sense his aura in the distance and opened her eyes to see him approaching as twilight took the night sky. Outlining him in an orange glow. Once he was closed, he stopped and went quiet. "I see you've had an eventful time. Your aura is wrecked."

Ruby didn't bother asking him what he meant. She didn't have the capacity for more lessons, "yeah. I…" she breathed and steadied her voice "… saw some things. But I'm through it now so it's alright."

He took a seat beside her on a rock and reached into a bag slung over his shoulder to pulled out a box. The smell hit her instantly. Cookies from a bakery. She had forgotten how hungry she was but her stomach instantly rumbled and she reached for them. "My old mentor used to say chocolate was simply condensed hope. Carry a bar into battle and well, you've got that to look forward to when you're done. It's more filling than you'd think, hope." She barely heard him over the sound of her stuffing her face with cookies.

He seemed to notice and didn't say anything until she finished, "hope that helped. Sometimes its hard too look inward. But you've got to get some sleep tonight."

Ruby nodded and wordlessly stood. The cookies had helped. They took her mind off her confusion. Long enough for her to get 'home' and into bed, to sleep away her thoughts.

**Part 2**

Despite Ruby's hopes, it had been a frustrating two weeks. She was burdened with thoughts of Weiss and Mitsuko and her love for the two, one of which had grown, the other had diminished. She found herself missing Weiss yelling at her, pushing her. She missed the smiles on Weiss' face after answering a question or getting good grades on a test. She missed hugging her and seeing her. Mitsuko however, seemed to be slipping away from her. She wanted to talk to her about it but there was never the right time. Their dates didn't go that well because neither enjoyed the kind of date the other did quite as much. Then they were either too tired to talk in bed or too busy with their sex, which was admittedly, the strength of the relationship… and Ruby's only way of venting her frustration.

This of course, had bled into her training. She'd found centering to be more difficult than she initially thought, as her thoughts would often spiral out of control. That made her more frustrated. Which lead to her being snippy with Mitsuko and her master, which would make her feel bad and get more frustrated that she couldn't control herself.

And now, she knew, this feedback loop was untenable. She _had_ to tell Mitsuko what she was dealing with. Even if it might end them. The constant feelings of guilt and doubt were overwhelming her. Tonight, was her choice of date and she'd chosen to take a walk through the park that was special to the two of them. It would be the best place she figured, because it would put her the most at ease and they could finish their walk quickly to speak privately in Ruby's room at the inn.

Only Ruby was late. She'd been so anxious about it that she let time run on and had only noticed when she'd gotten a text from Mitsuko asking where she was. She showed up in her usual outfit about ten minutes after she was supposed to show, finding an annoyed Mitsuko sitting on a park bench.

"What took you?" Ruby gulped and looked away, hiding her guilt. This wasn't good.

"I err, sorry. Just lost track of time." Mitsuko stood up and came closer, offering her hand, though she didn't verbally accept the apology.

Ruby took it and the contact helped ease her nerves a little, though her heart was still pounding. "Are you really ok? You've been overworked a lot." Ruby swallowed before moving parallel to Mitsuko, so they could walk side by side.

"I uhm, yeah. Just have a lot on my mind. I was hoping to talk to you tonight, before we uhm, you know."

Mitsuko squeezed her hand and Ruby noticed the look of worry on her face, "yeah. But, let's try and just have some fun first."

Ruby nodded and breathed, walking further with Mitsu in the quiet, for once wishing for a little noise. It'd be far more difficult to get lost in her head. "So, uhm, how about you? School is wrapping up for the year soon."

"Pretty good. My tests went well I think, I know I passed the practical's, so did the team. Written exams should be ok for us all too."

Ruby tried not to think of her team, especially her partner but she ended up doing so anyways. Mitsuko didn't seem to notice or say anything about it though. "And uhm, I uh." Ruby cursed herself as she tried to think of what to say next.

"You just want to talk about it now? Clearly you're distracted." Mitsu stopped and turned to face Ruby, staring down at her with tearful yet determined eyes.

Guilt shot through Ruby's chest as she looked back, trying to think of how to phrase it. How to say it in a way that didn't make her sound like a terrible person. 'I love you but I also love someone else and I'm confused' didn't quite cut it.

"Ruby?"

Ruby tried to enter her state of calm. Tried to focus herself. She focused on her mother's voice. But her thoughts again wouldn't clear, more doubt and guilt seeped into her mind. "I, I'm… not… ready." She began to cry and Mitsuko let go of her hand.

"Ok." She turned, "then, tomorrow I guess." She started to walk away and Ruby couldn't bring herself to call out to her. Instead, she stared at the girl she still very much loved through the tears and fought closing herself off again.

A few minutes later, she took a seat at the bench and tried to think about what to do. She hadn't realized she was affecting Mitsuko too. She couldn't just leave her wounded like that. Maybe, maybe she'd have to tell someone else. She pulled out her scroll and her thumb hovered over Yang's icon for a good minute as she went to war with herself over whether or not to do it. Then, in a moment of bravery she dialed her.

"_Ruby? It's super late."_ Ruby had forgotten it was later in Beacon.

"S-sorry."

Her cracked voice had given up her feelings, "_Ruby? It's ok…"_ there was a pause _"… how, how are you feeling?"_

"I'm, confused. And scared. I've messed up. And I could really use some advice."

"_Ok. I'm here for you. Why don't you start at the beginning? What did you mess up?"_

Yang's soothing, calm voice brought Ruby back to her much younger days and helped bring her emotions under control. "I love Mitsuko but, I uhm, I think maybe, also, well…" Ruby needed a bit more coaxing from Yang to continue "…I love Weiss, or, uhm, like her? Maybe. I think so. And, I'm confused."

Yang needed a minute to process that. _"Ok. I, uhm, ok. I understand, you're having trouble with these feelings for Weiss, because you're already dating someone. Have you told her?"_

Ruby had expected outrage, Yang never really liked Weiss. But she didn't complain, "uhm, no. I tried to, tonight. But couldn't. She just left. I, fucked up. I don't want to break it off, I still love her."

"_I understand. But you have to tell her Ruby. It'll hang over you if you don't. And whatever you decide, I support you."_

Ruby took on a pleading tone, "how? I can't just, I've tried. I don't even know what I feel for Weiss. I'm scared I'll ruin this for nothing."

"_Maybe you have to think hard on it first then. Become certain of your feelings. Or of your uncertainty. It's ok to be confused. Just, think about it for me ok?"_

She nodded to herself, "ok. I'll, I'll try."

"_Alright Ruby. Don't let it stew. That never helps._"

Ruby had let it stew for two weeks and that only made it worse, so she figured Yang had to be right. With that, she said her goodbyes and tried to center herself once more. She focused on Yang and her fearlessness. She remembered all the times she braved danger and tried to use that to set her in the right frame of mind. It had taken her almost an hour before her mind was clear and she brought Mitsuko to her mind. Mitsuko, who was always so mature, so supportive, she'd understand.

Ruby thought about Weiss. Weiss, who knew what she wanted. Weiss, who wouldn't be so carefree about a relationship. All the times her thoughts had spiraled into thinking about Weiss and Mitsuko, she ran from them. But now, she was able to think about them and only them.

Mitsuko was good for Ruby; she was never harsh with her and didn't demand much. But that also meant that Ruby wasn't able to tell if she was giving Mitsuko what she wanted. And Weiss would be demanding, harsh and direct. Being yelled at wasn't fun but it had its appeal to her. She craved knowing when she did something right and wrong. She craved someone so in control. She craved the certainty Weiss could give her. They'd be more compatible. Both liked their space. Their quiet. Both were very driven to be huntresses. Ruby didn't want to end it with Mitsuko, she still did love her. She loved how easy she was to talk to, how fun she was in bed, yet she also realized she'd not be able to maintain it. Even if things got better.

Ruby just wanted different things than Mitsuko did. And she realized, a relationship at a distance, especially with Weiss so nearby, would kill her with guilt. She remembered her talks with Mitsuko about not needing forever and stuck on that as she texted her, telling her they needed to talk, here in the park.

She managed to maintain her state of calm, not letting her emotions consume her but feeling them all the same. Ruby channeled her sister as she felt Mitsu's aura approaching. She fed off her courage. She fed off of her strength and brute force approach to every situation. She'd use that. Mitsu would come up, Ruby would look her in the eye and tell her.

"Ruby." Mitsuko looked a mess but Ruby focused on what she would say.

"Mitsu." She smiled weakly as the first of her emotions began to bleed over, "I uhm, realized a while back, something that's been eating at me. I love you but, I also have feelings for someone else. And I've been struggling to come to terms with that, to deal with it."

Mitsuko wiped her eyes and nodded, "I understand. So, is this it for us?" She didn't choke up or cry any more than that.

"I." Ruby's emotions slammed into her and she blinked back tears, "n-y…" she breathed. It hurt like hell but she needed to finish. She focused on Mitsuko again, her face. The place they were in wasn't far from their magic night together. She recalled those confused feelings, Mitsuko helping her out. She used that to clear her mind for what came next. "…I don't know. I still love you. But I don't know if we can work out. I'm not built for distance and, well, I have a feeling that, we don't have a future. And I don't want a relationship destined to end badly."

Ruby began to cry as her calm state ended again and then sometime later, she felt Mitsu's arms around her. "It's ok." She hugged her tight and let go, "let's call it friends then? With benefits if you want. But I think you should go after whoever it is. And maybe I can help you as a friend."

Ruby really wanted to hug her again but avoided it. That would just make it hurt worse. "I'd like to stay friends. I don't, know about anything else but uhm, I," she sighed, "I'm sorry for this."

Mitsuko smiled bittersweetly at her, "it's ok Ruby. I was starting to hope for more but I also got the sense nothing would come. I'm glad we're ending it without hating each other."

Ruby turned away, "me too."

Mitsuko didn't respond and Ruby only noticed her aura leaving as it got on the edge of her detection range. Not that she minded. She knew they both needed some space to heal. But as Ruby began walking back to her room at the inn, she once again felt that pulse of hope, stronger now. She was suffering but, she was going to get through it.

**Part three**

The last week or so had been difficult and intense but Ruby had finally overcome her hurdles. She'd gotten past her centering hurdle and achieved her 'battle calm' as Azure called it, a state of focus. It felt natural to her now. And Ruby had even said her goodbyes to Mitsuko the night before, as Ruby was heading to see her team at Beacon tomorrow before dawn and wouldn't have the time to see her. That put to bed some lingering feelings and she felt more at ease than she had in a long while.

Perhaps that's why her mission was so fun, because she certainly enjoyed bouncing around between the pack of Beringal's that haunted the outskirts of Haven. Azure was watching from a distance as she weaved in-between them, putting aside any thoughts but defeating them. She was able to plan her moves ahead, predict their movements and strike at them with ease. Thanks to her increased aura supply, she was able to shrug of the minor attacks of the pack, ignoring them to get in big hits of precise, aura boosted shots.

She even got to use her trick of activating her semblance in short, tightly controlled bursts so she was able to dart back and forth around the battlefield. Three monkeys down and she'd demonstrated all the things she'd learned, putting them together. She killed the fourth and fifth by leaping into the air and taking them down with her sniper mode. The sixth, seventh and eighth on the way down, using her semblance to angle herself. The sixth was sliced as it leapt at her, the seventh cleaved in two as she landed and the eight as she slid between its legs, slicing upwards. She was too fast for nine and ten to hit her as they tried to avenge the others and she dueled them both. Eleven tried up behind her but she hadn't forgotten him and with a single swing, using her aura to anchor her feet and spin, she let loose an attack that killed them all.

Azure approached and clapped, "good job. You've passed. You're a perfectly capable student of second year level. Almost a full-fledged hunter, missing only a bit of experience and personal refinement."

"But we still have three months, don't we?" She didn't know if she was happy or disappointed at that.

"You've got the basic fighting skills. You can control your aura well. You have a decent supply. You have a battle calm to pull it together. That's everything a second year is expected to know and do. You could still use some work, especially expanding your supply and keeping your battle calm, which is what the next three months will be about. But you can do that on your own time at your own pace. I've finished teaching you what I can, save for a few secrets that you're not ready to learn yet."

"But what about third year stuff?"

"Third year is mostly on the job experience. It's about piecing everything together and building your personal fighting style and methods. It teaches you about what hunters actually do, how they find jobs, gives you a few. I'll probably stop by every now and then but I want you to focus on trying to be you. And unfortunately, I'll be busy. My own missions."

She stared up at him, "this is about Salem, isn't it?"

He paused and she felt his aura searching around, "yes. And you won't be much help with it. It's mostly sneaking around, talking with people, watching Grimm. Monitoring trends. Don't ask to help. When you've finished school, if you want to become part of my order, you can ask then."

She didn't like being told she was too young but she decided not to complain. Yet. She didn't like the sound of the work. It was mostly what she was bad at.

With that, they retired for the night and the next morning, she boarded the airship, on the way back to her team. She'd left them two months ago, feeling like a helpless screw up, who had lost everything. Now, she was coming back to reclaim it and more. She was stronger, more knowledgeable and experienced. But more importantly, she was more at ease with herself. She had dealt with much of her baggage and while there was more locked away and more ahead of her, she had the tools she needed to deal with them.

_**A/N: **__So uhm, yeah, two months. Not good time and I'm very sorry about that. I had difficulties with this chapter and honestly, I think I'd have been faster if I just split it into three self-contained chapters. I may do that if I ever find the time to keep my word and go back to fix all the things I want to fix in this story. Although I think that at times things went too quickly and at other times too slowly, I'm happy enough with this as it is. Next time, we finally get to see Weiss and Ruby on the screen. It's been an excruciatingly long time coming and I'm pretty hype. As always, please leave any comments and criticism you have. _


End file.
